Fire and Ice
by lynnwiley
Summary: After Jasper kills Bella he breaks away from his family and enters the magical world in the attempt to come to terms with his mistake. While there he meets his true mate in its savior. Harry, having just witnessed the death of his godfather, finally decides to break away from both Dumbledore and the Light. Both men embrace their demons. Slash JW/HP Dark!Harry Dark!Jasper
1. The Meeting of Mates

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any aspect of Harry Potter or Twilight.

**Summary: **After Jasper accidentally cheats on his diet, he sets off on a quest to come to terms with his lack of self-control. He soon finds himself in the magical world where he meets his true mate in its savior. Harry, who has just witnessed the death of his beloved godfather, finally decides to break away from Dumbledore and the Light. Watch as they both embrace their inner demons and each other.

**Warning:** There will be coarse language, sex between two males, violence, and possibly other evil things in this story. You will also find Light Side, Weasley, Granger, and Dumbledore bashing. I refuse to have any fangless or sparkly vampires in my stories… it's just so wrong.

**Chapter Note:** This is BePeachy's happy slash story I promised to write for her. If you don't like it, blame her :)

**Fire and Ice**

**Chapter 1 – The Meeting of Mates  
**

Jasper Whitlock changed directions in his hunt for food when the zesty scent of a unicorn touched his nose. He'd heard stories of what became of vampires who dared to kill one of those creatures and he had no desire to either prove or disprove the rumors. It had taken the vampire a while to become used to the smell of magical creatures. Too long had he been tethered to the non-magical world with his family, moving endlessly to various small towns and trying to pretend to be something he wasn't. He would still be there with them had he not slipped and slaughtered Bella Swan in his uncontrollable urge to feed from a human.

He could still see the tragedy replay itself in his mind.

**Flashback**

_Jasper sat on the end of the couch rereading his 1879 copy of "__Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia" while the rest of the family was out feeding. Feeling the need to be alone for a while, the blonde had decided to wait until they returned to find his own sustenance._

_Much to his consternation, Edward's girlfriend Bella chose that moment to visit. When Jasper told the human bluntly that her boyfriend was away and not expected to return anytime soon, she had simply smiled in her own clueless manner, plopped herself down on the other end of the sofa and pulled out her cellphone to await his return. The girl couldn't take a hint to save her life… literally, as it turns out._

_The civil war vampire could never say for sure what triggered the attack. He remembered getting increasingly agitated by the mechanical beeping of whatever game Swan had been playing on the device before he suddenly snapped. The next thing of which he was aware was the heavenly feeling of sinking his fangs deep into her carotid artery. Her__ brown eyes widened in horror as her delicious blood began flowing down Jasper's throat. The terrified and pained screams Bella emitted had only fueled his desire to completely consume her._

_When he'd drank his fill, Jasper finally pulled back in time to see the light ultimately fade from her eyes. He would always feel a great sense of guilt that his first thought after dropping Bella Swan's lifeless corpse was how glad he was that her intrusive presence would never again serve to plague him. He was sorry for what his actions would cost his family, especially Edward, but Jasper would never regret giving into his not-so-hidden desires once more._

_And that's what frightened him the most._

**End Flashback**

His family had forgiven him instantly… even Edward, much to Jasper's shock. In the midst of the chaotic rush to pack up and move, the blonde had asked his brother why he'd been so understanding. It turns out that the bronze-haired vampire had finally realized that the annoying human wasn't his mate when Alice met hers in a nomad who'd been passing through Forks two months prior to the slipup. Edward said he'd been trying to come up with a way to break things off with the human without risking exposure ever since his sister's discovery.

The second that Alice's eyes had caught those of Everett Warren, they had both felt an instant connection. The two had instinctively pulled closer together and whispered words of claiming. It had been the same for every true case of two souls joining since the dawn of time, and it was the first time Edward had ever witnessed the birth of the connection. His family had been telling him for ages that Bella wasn't his chosen, but it took actually seeing the truth for him to finally believe it.

Edward had then been forced to realize that he'd never felt that way about Bella. His struggles with that girl had been just that… a constant struggle. Nothing had ever been easy, and a vampire would **never** have the urge to feed from his mate! Though his brother had never voiced it out loud, Jasper assumed from the guilt he'd felt from the other that Edward was more than a bit relieved that the girl was dead. Both his sister and brother had unwittingly saved him from a lifetime of regret.

Though Jasper and Alice had been together a long time, both vampires had always known that they weren't soul mates. There had been an unspoken agreement between them from the first moment he took her into his bed that as soon as either of them found their destined mate, their relationship would end. Even knowing it had been coming didn't lessen the bittersweet taste in his mouth that, while she had found her chosen, Jasper was still alone. He was happy for her, make no mistake. After everything they had been through, she would always hold a place in his heart.

Knowing their sudden departure would be suspicious to the townspeople of Forks, especially as it would coincide with Bella's disappearance, the family decided to spend time living abroad. Alice and Everett had followed them, the latter having been talked into giving vegetarianism a try. The wolves would no doubt deduce the truth of the matter, so they all knew returning to Forks would never be an option while the Quileute tribe still lived there. Charlie Swan would most likely believe Bella had run away since Edward, in the effort of covering their tracks, had made it appear as if the girl had packed a bag and left of her own volition. He'd even thought to leave a note in an exact copy of Bella's handwriting stating Edward had broken up with her because he and his family were moving and she'd be away from home for a few days to come to terms with the loss.

After disposing of the human's remains, vehicle, and packed belongings at the bottom of a remote lake, the entire family rented a private jet and flew to Scotland. Once they had settled into their new life in a small town close to Glasgow, Jasper had broken the news to them that he wanted to strike out on his own for a while to come to terms with his momentary loss of control. Carlisle had taken him aside before he left to let him know that he would always be a treasured member of the family, no matter what decision he came to on his journey.

Though he would remain in touch with the others, he expressed a need to see something other than the inside of another high school. He needed to spread his proverbial wings and fly. He needed to go somewhere where he wasn't constantly tempted to slaughter humans. He needed to live.

He needed to… find out where that heavenly scent was coming from!

Changing directions yet again, Jasper followed the most intriguing aroma his nose had ever encountered. It wasn't food… absolutely not! He had no desire to harm whatever that was – quite the contrary, actually. Whenever he located its source he would admire it, cherish it, protect it, and beg it to follow him home so he could enjoy its intoxicating fragrance for all eternity. Jasper could only hope that whatever it was would be okay with that.

* * *

Words could never adequately describe the anger Harry Potter felt for Albus Fucking Dumbledore at this moment in time. After everything that had happened in his life… after every single trial he'd undergone in the name of the Light, the son of a whore felt the need to hide something of this magnitude from him?! The sight of Sirius' face as he fell backwards into the veil of death would forever haunt him. It could have all been avoided if Dumbledore had only been honest with him from the beginning!

But no… he'd been kept in the dark for the most stupid reason the manipulative old coot could invent. Was he seriously supposed to believe that the same man who had knowingly placed him at the doorstep of child abusers truly went to all this effort simply so he would be able to better enjoy his childhood? Had he ever even had the privilege of being a child? Dumbledore hadn't been overly concerned with him retaining his innocence when it came to the dangers he'd faced every fucking year since coming to school at the supposed "safest place in the wizarding world."

If this truly was the most protected place the magical world had to offer, then they were all well and truly buggered.

After his magical outburst had destroyed all of the stupid trinkets in Dumbledore's office, Harry had fled the school in a rage. The last thing he wanted to encounter was one of his so-called friends nagging him for details about his epic battle with Voldemort. Harry could count on one hand the people he felt were true friends to him and still have a finger left over. Neville, Luna, Fred, and George. Everyone else, as far as he was concerned, had either betrayed or belittled him at one point or another.

Any student who hadn't done either were simply not close enough to him to become a confidant.

Of course the entire magical community would argue that Ron and Hermione were his best friends, but they'd be wrong. Ron had never really been a true companion… befriending him was nothing more than a desperate attempt of a lonely boy to have someone on his side for once. Even Hermione was included simply because he felt sorry for her. He truly had never been able to stomach her haughty know-it-all bossiness. Why the girl constantly felt the need to lecture him as if she were his mother was beyond him.

Well Harry was tired of sitting back and listening to the crap those two kept spewing. Starting today, Harry James Potter was his own man and those who didn't like it could go avada themselves!

He entered the forbidden forest without hesitation and sat down with his back against a tall oak just inside the tree line. He wasn't suicidal enough to venture deep into the forest of death at night. Harry sighed and ran his fingers through the unruly mop on top of his head. Even though he hated Draco Malfoy with a fiery passion, he couldn't help but wonder how his life would have turned out if he'd accepted the prat's hand at their first meeting. Would he be in Slytherin? If he had been placed there, would he have been accepted among the children of Death Eaters, or would he have been smothered in his sleep? In any case, that fate would most likely have been preferable to the life he was now living.

Any house had to be better than the loud obnoxiousness of Gryffindor. He was sorely tempted to piss his teachers off for the rest of his magical education in order to see the hourglass belonging to the house of lions plummet.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a snapping branch in his vicinity. He was on his feet with his wand drawn in record time, but it wasn't needed. Standing before him was the most beautiful being he'd ever seen. The red eyes and pale skin told him this was a vampire, but if it was his time to die Harry could think of no better way to go than in the arms of this magnificent creature.

Something deep within his chest seemed to take over his body, for he lowered his wand and whispered, "Mine."

"Mine," the vampire answered, and before Harry knew it he was being held by the other.

For the first time in his entire existence, Harry Potter truly felt safe.

* * *

Jasper, once he regained control of his senses, backed up a bit in order to fully take in the sight of his mate. The boy was beyond beautiful, despite his current bedraggled appearance. The robes he was wearing was full of burn marks and blood stains. Raven-colored hair was plastered against sweaty skin, and the greenest set of eyes he had ever seen in his one hundred fifty-two years of walking this earth were partially hidden by a pair of old glasses with cracked frames.

He was a mess.

Once the vampire realized some of the blood on his wizard was his own, he felt an indescribable rage take over. Someone had hurt his mate! He was going to rip that person apart and bathe in their blood! He hadn't realized he'd began growling in a feral manner until he felt slight fear come from the other. Jasper immediately silenced himself and sent out vibes of reassurance and peace. "Don't be scared. You don't ever have to be scared of me," he said as he cupped the boy's face. "My name is Jasper Whitlock… what's yours?"

"Harry Potter," he said and Jasper frowned in concern at the way Harry seemed to brace himself after speaking his name. When Jasper didn't give whatever reaction he'd been expecting, the wizard instantly relaxed. "I love your accent. Where are you from?"

They both sat side by side against the tree, already completely at ease with each other.

Jasper smiled, feeling giddy that he had found his other half so soon after losing Alice to her mate. "I was born in the United States… Texas to be exact." For the first time in his entire existence he told his story to someone without hesitation. He wanted Harry to know everything about him… needed to disclose every bit of information. Even Alice had struggled to pull odds and ends from him throughout the years.

What made the process even sweeter was the fact that his beautiful wizard had never once felt an ounce of pity in regards to anything he'd been told. He'd emitted feelings of joy, sorrow, compassion, and pride. No one else had been able to listen to his tale without feeling sorry for him at some point.

Once he'd finished with the entire saga of his life, Harry had stared at him in amazement. "Wow! I can't imagine how strong you must be to have fought so many battles and lived." The wizard reached out and shyly ran his fingers over the pale hand Jasper had propped on his upraised knee.

With a smile Jasper opened his hand and interlocked their fingers. "I think a lot of it was due more to luck rather than skill… especially in the beginning. What about you, Harry? What's your story?"

The wizard sighed as he began detailing his own life. Jasper couldn't believe how many horrors could be packed in a mere fifteen… nearly sixteen years! As the tale continued, the vampire made careful mental notes of everyone he was going to have to kill for daring to bring harm to his soul mate. He would happily start with the boy's aunt, uncle, and cousin.

By the time they had both finished recounting their past experiences the moon was high in the sky. Knowing his mate was still in school, Jasper asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed by now? Don't they do a bed check?"

Harry scoffed. "I don't give a fuck about what they want anymore. Soon they'll be shipping me back to the Dursleys; Sirius is dead and with him went my final chance for freedom." Unable to hold back his grief over the death of his godfather any longer, he collapsed into Jasper's arms and screamed his anguish into the vampire's black silk shirt. "Oh Merlin why can't they just leave me alone! They want me to save them, but right now I just want them all to fucking burn!"

Jasper held tightly to his mate. He would be happy to destroy the entire wizarding world himself if it would please the young wizard in his arms. "Then let them burn, Harry. Let them all burn."

Harry sighed despondently after rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "Will I ever see you again, Jasper?"

The vampire chuckled and lifted Harry's chin up to meet his gaze. "You're my soul mate, Harry. I'm afraid you're stuck with me now." He thought for a moment. "Have you ever thought of becoming emancipated?"

The raven-haired boy stared up into the darkness. "Dumbledore would never allow that… and I wouldn't even begin to know how to go about doing it if he did."

Scowling at the audacity of this Dumbledore man, Jasper said, "And why does the headmaster of your school have **any** say in your life? This man is the one who placed you with your relatives when your godfather hadn't yet committed a crime, he forces you to return there each year despite obvious signs of neglect and abuse, and then he neglects to tell you about a so-called prophecy that may or may not be about you."

"You think it may be false," Harry asked hopefully.

Jasper squeezed his mate's hand. "I think that Dumbledore can't be trusted, Harry. I don't know if the prophecy is true, but even if it is, do you really want to save the same people who keep beating you down every time the wind changes direction?"

Harry stared at the blonde beside him, processing his words. After a few moments of thought he shook his head. "No… no I really don't."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	2. The Nature of the Beast

**Note:** It's been a while since I've read the Harry Potter books, and I've never read the Twilight series, so I'd like to apologize if I make any huge errors in regards to past events in either world. As this story is obviously AU from the end of Harry's fifth year on, I'm hoping that soon I won't have to worry so much about these things.

Anyway, don't be afraid to let me know if I made any major blunders and I'll see if there's a way I can redeem myself, LOL.

**Chapter 2 – The Nature of the Beast**

As Harry began to shiver from the chill of the night, Jasper all but begged him to go back to the castle. He could tell both from the boy's emotions and his demeanor, however, that the wizard was very reluctant to leave him. Placing the back of his fingers against his mate's cheek, the vampire did his best to reassure the other. "It's okay, Harry. I promise you that I'm never going to abandon you. I still have to feed and check on my house, but I can meet you back here whenever you like."

Harry blushed at the intimate contact and unconsciously leaned into the gesture of affection. He'd had too few comforting touches in his life and Jasper was determined to make up for it. "Your house? You live in Hogsmeade?"

Jasper chuckled. "No… it's a non-magical town about thirty miles from here. I just came here to find some larger prey. If I lived in a magical village I'd have to give up all my electronics, and it's hard enough for me to leave my cellphone behind when I need to hunt."

Looking imploringly at the vampire, Harry said, "I'm glad that hunting for animals brought you here Jasper, but I don't understand why you refuse to give your body what it craves. You've told me that human blood makes you stronger, faster, and less hungry all the time, so why in the world would you ever want to go back to barely sustaining yourself with deer and rabbits?"

Sighing, the blonde ran his hand through his hair. He, too, had this argument with himself on a regular basis and was unsure how best to answer. "After leaving Maria's army, I was so disgusted with myself, Harry. Because of my empathic abilities, I was cursed to feel every ounce of betrayal, pain, and fear that coursed through those vampires I killed and it made me feel like nothing more than a soulless monster. But joining the Cullen family gave me purpose again. For the first time since I was turned I felt like a magical being and not a murderer… I'm terrified to lose that feeling."

Harry placed a comforting hand on Jasper's shoulder. "I don't want you to ever be uncomfortable with who or what you are, Jasper. I just want you to be happy. What about the human you fed from before coming here… Edward's girlfriend. Did her emotions bother you when you were feeding?"

Shame crossed the vampires face. "No. Loathe as I am to admit this, I enjoyed her struggles and fear. And that scares me, Harry. It scares me more than I'd ever be willing to vocalize."

"Oh Jasper," Harry pulled his mate's face up until their eyes met, "You are a predator. You can't judge yourself for eating humans just because you were once one yourself. You're a different species altogether now, and it doesn't make you a cannibal or even a murderer to eat people. I enjoy eating meat… does that make me a heartless killer?"

Jasper snorted, "Of course not. But a human and a cow are hardly the same thing."

"Maybe not, but a cow can still feel pain and fear. Just because we humans think we're at the top of the food chain doesn't mean we are or even should be. By Merlin, we're the most destructive animal on the entire planet! Look – I get that Carlisle is a wonderful person who enjoys interacting with humans, and I think the world needs more beings with that level of compassion. But you need to find out who **you** are… what makes you content." Harry placed a hand over Jasper's. "I'm not trying to force you to eat humans… though I could come up with a long list of people I wouldn't mind seeing devoured," he added, making Jasper give out a surprised laugh, "but you are a vampire. You were built to hunt humans… there's a reason you're never completely full unless you ingest human blood."

Leaning forward, Jasper surprised Harry with a kiss to the forehead. "I hear what you're saying, and I promise I'll give it some thought, okay?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds good." He yawned and stretched. "I guess I'd better get some sleep. Something tells me I'm going to need to be fully rested in order to face tomorrow."

Jasper smirked. "Be sure to take your own advice, Harry. Be yourself… not what others want you to be. It's the only way **you'll** ever be satisfied."

The wizard gazed at him in surprise. "Wow… I did not realize how similar our situations were before, but you're right. We're alike in a lot of ways." Harry accepted the offered hand as he pulled himself off of the damp ground. He halfheartedly brushed the dirt from his bum, not that it did much good with him still looking like a mess. The wizard hesitantly asked, "So… I'll see you tomorrow night?"

The vampire chuckled. "Count on it, Harry. Now go get some rest," Jasper responded while pulling the shorter boy into a comforting embrace. "Sweet dreams!"

In a blur, Jasper ran from the area. He really needed to feed… and think.

* * *

A quick tempus charm told Harry it was half past two in the morning. He absently apologized to the fat lady for waking her before making his way toward the showers. He knew Pomfrey would be tracking him down tomorrow, knowing well his propensity to hide wounds, but there was no way he was in the mood for her coddling just now. Though he had to admit that he wasn't nearly as angry about his life now that Jasper had crashed into it. As he was scrubbing the blood and grime from his body, his thoughts kept travelling toward the gorgeous blonde with the intense red eyes.

Before they had met, Harry would have sworn that he'd be repulsed by anyone with a crimson gaze after having seen Voldemort in all his scaly glory. Upon seeing Jasper's, however, he could never consider those almost burgundy orbs to be anything less than beautiful. The wizard idly wondered, as he washed his hair for the second time, if it was because they were filled with love and devotion, or a result of the soul bond.

He'd never given any thought to having a soul mate. It had always seemed to be something that only happened to magical creatures and not humans, but whatever… he wasn't complaining. Even though he was terrified of once again being let down, Harry was going to hold onto this for as long as he was able.

What did he have to lose?

* * *

Just as Harry feared, the next day was fraught with endless questions from his housemates. He wished the twins were still in school so he could beg them for a pinch of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder they'd recently become so excited about. The fifteen-year-old briefly considered grabbing his invisibility cloak, but then decided that any attempt at subterfuge would only delay the inevitable and cause him to eventually explode. He instead chose to deliver clipped one or two word answers to any questions and completely ignore ones that required a longer response.

Jasper was right… he hated these people, so why in the name of Merlin had he always felt the need to cater to their every whim?

"Harry," exclaimed a voice that grated on his nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard, "oh thank Merlin you're okay!" Ginny Weasley went to fling her arms around him, but Harry quickly sidestepped her effort. The girl had been incredibly clingy lately, always feeling the need to touch him. She'd also taken to openly flirting with Dean Thomas, but Harry always caught her watching him as if waiting for him to have a negative reaction to it. He could be wrong, but it seemed as if she only threw herself at Dean in order to make him jealous. If that was the case, she'd be waiting an eternity.

Ginny frowned when he dodged her hug. Obviously thinking his hardened attitude came from seeing Sirius die, her eyes turned sad. "I'm so sorry about Sirius, Harry. If you ever need to talk about him… or anything, know that I'll always be here for you, okay?"

Harry stared at her for a moment, his eyes reflecting none of the disgust and anger he was feeling. Finally he nodded sharply and walked away, leaving the stunned girl alone in the corridor. The wizard knew he was pulling away from the war, but the fact that he'd just happily imagined Jasper draining Ginny in front of him was something that was new and more than a little frightening. As he continued on his way to the astronomy tower in a bid to get some peace and quiet, Harry began to wonder if having Voldemort in his head had affected him in ways he'd never before imagined.

* * *

After Jasper had left his beautiful Harry, he continued his hunt and soon located a deer drinking from a stream. As he stared at the animal from his hiding spot, the vampire was having a hard time convincing himself to go make the kill. Frankly, the thought of going back to being a vegetarian was turning his stomach, especially after he found out that his mate wouldn't be disgusted with him for hunting humans.

He thought of Bella Swan's last moments alive and smiled softly. Her normally dull brown eyes looked absolutely breathtaking once they became consumed by horror and pain. The sound of her pain-filled screams turned him on like nothing ever had before. He briefly imagined making love to Harry beside the body of one of his victims and felt his pants become uncomfortably tight.

Mind made up, Jasper made his way out of the forest. The forgotten deer continued to drink its fill, never knowing how close to death it had been.

* * *

Edgar Banton ignored the nip in the air as he left his automobile and made his way to the front door of his secluded home on the outskirts of town. He'd spent the day and most of the night at the office and he was more than ready to crawl into his warm bed and sleep. He was so glad that the boss had given him the next day off and he certainly wasn't planning to do anything that cut into his much-needed relaxation time.

A rustling sound caused him to pause in the efforts to unlock his front door. The keys jingled as he turned to peer in the direction in which he'd heard the sound. Hearing no further noise, the man shrugged internally and moved to resume his task. As soon as his eyes met a pale figure leaning casually against his door, Edgar gasped in fright and dropped his keys with a clatter. He didn't know who this bloke was, but he definitely hadn't been there a second ago!

The blonde stranger smirked at his reaction before swooping down on the businessman. As he felt teeth biting deeply into his neck, Edgar tried to scream for help. A strong hand immediately clamped down on his mouth, muffling the desperate cries. He never stopped fighting with every ounce of energy he had… even when the blood loss began making him lethargic.

Just before taking his last breath, Edgar Banton met the eyes of his killer and wondered what he'd ever done to deserve this end.

* * *

Jasper wiped the trail of blood from his mouth and stared down at the body of his latest meal. He had thought the guilt would return after taking the life of an innocent, but instead he felt almost giddy. The human's desperation had made him feel powerful and strong, and his blood made him feel almost alive. The vampire knew in that moment that he would never be able to return to hunting animals.

He remembered Carlisle's parting words when Jasper had broken away from the family. It was as if he'd known that his blonde son would come to this decision. Or maybe he'd just doubted whether Jasper would be strong enough to return to being a vegetarian after tasting human blood once more. Either way, he supposed as he began the process of disposing of the corpse, Jasper could only hope that the family would accept his return to his roots.

Once the cleanup was done, Jasper made his way to his house in the next town over and checked the phone he'd left charging in the window. There were two messages from Alice there. The first one stated how excited she was that he'd found his mate and let him know that she would be showing up one day to take the boy shopping for new clothes. Jasper snorted and made a mental note to warn his wizard. The second message made him pause in shock.

Alice had seen him feed, but her response to the vision threw him for a loop.

"I saw you and the man, Jasper and whatever you're feeling… know that everything is okay. Your family knows you better than you think and loves you unconditionally. Never be afraid to be yourself." Jasper closed his eyes in relief. He'd been terrified to lose them and Alice's words soothed an ache that he hadn't even yet noticed was forming.

Jasper began laughing when his phone buzzed from another text message came through. It was Alice again saying, "And Rosalie says to tell you to quit moping and go do something… or someone."

God he loved this family!

* * *

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed!


	3. End of Term Confrontations

**Chapter 3 – ****End of Term Confrontations**

The night after he had met Jasper, Harry felt a bit ill with worry. He had been half expecting that, despite his mate's assurances, the vampire wouldn't show up. He needn't have been concerned at all because as soon as the wizard stepped past the tree line he was ensconced in a pair of cold arms.

"Jasper! You… you came," Harry smiled up at the blonde, giddy with relief.

Frowning in concern, the vampire pushed the black strands of Harry's hair out of his face. "Of course I came, Harry. I promised you, didn't I?"

Harry chuckled dryly. "I'm… I know. I just have a hard time trusting others. So many people lie to me or go back on their word."

Red eyes softened as Jasper directed a sad smile at him. "I know, Harry. And I know that it'll take a long time before you can let yourself trust again, but I won't be going anywhere… ever."

The two mates soon settled against their oak tree and began talking as if they'd known each other their entire lives.

* * *

"I fed from a human last night," Jasper threw out casually. He smirked as he felt a mixture of surprise and lust from his mate.

"Really? What happened? How was it?" Harry snuggled into Jasper's side, ready to hear the story of the vampire's kill.

Jasper chuckled. "As I was running toward this little town a few miles down the road from where I'm living, I saw a car on the otherwise deserted highway and followed it to a little house. As soon as he saw me leaned against his door he dropped his keys in fear." When the vampire felt that Harry was becoming aroused, his own body begin to respond. "He tried to scream as I sank my fangs into his flesh, but I placed a hand against his mouth to muffle the sound. His blood was delicious."

"Did you kill him," Harry asked breathlessly.

Jasper pulled his mate into his arms until they were face to face. "Oh Harry… as soon as his blood touched my lips he was a dead man."

The blonde leaned in and claimed Harry's mouth. The wizard moaned and immediately parted his lips when Jasper's tongue demanded entrance. They kissed passionately until the vampire felt himself stray too close to the line that could never be uncrossed. As much as he wanted to lay Harry bare and completely claim his body, this was neither the time nor the place for such.

His mate deserved so much more.

Reluctantly he ended the best kiss of his life, cradling the flushed face in his hands. "My sweet Harry… I'm going to cherish you forever."

Harry, panting with need and exertion, smiled. "It's the only thing I've ever wanted in this world, Jasper."

* * *

It had been difficult, but Harry had managed to avoid Ron, Hermione, and Ginevra completely in the days leading up to the leaving feast. Of course spending most of the night with Jasper helped dodge the redhead confronting him in their dorm room. Hermione and Ginny had taken to waiting up for him in the common room, but his invisibility cloak had helped him dodge their grating voices and condescending smiles. Knowing he'd have no choice but to endure their presence for the last meal of the term, Harry had simply avoided it altogether. He was insightful enough to realize that everyone who **thought** they knew him would simply make allowances for his asocial behavior. After all… the poor boy had just lost his godfather and was in a state of mourning.

As far as he was concerned, the sooner he got back to the horrors of Privet Drive, the sooner Jasper could take him to Gringotts and help him begin the process of emancipation. Before meeting his mate, Harry had lost every last shred of hope he had once possessed when Bellatrix' spell pushed Sirius into the veil. But the gorgeous blonde vampire, in one night, had built up new level of optimism within him. Instinctively he knew that if Jasper was helping him, Harry would be able to achieve anything he wanted.

As he snuck onto the train and waited for a glimpse of the two people he most wanted to see, Harry thought of his Jasper and smiled. Since that passionate kiss that had left him willing to lose his virginity in the Forbidden Forest, of all places, the vampire had been careful not to stoke the fires quite so high in their ensuing meetings. Mostly they talked and snuggled, though Harry was reluctant to admit he partook in 'snuggling.' For some reason the word seemed so unmanly.

At this moment Jasper was already in England. He'd gone ahead to purchase a house around London so as to be close to his mate as they began the process of freeing him from the clutches of Dumbledore. When he'd expressed worry for Jasper's finances, the vampire had simply laughed and explained that money had never been an issue for his family. Harry had been surprised to learn that his mate had been busy reading up on wizarding law during the day so that they would be ready for anything the manipulative bastard would do to keep his "golden boy" under his thumb.

Catching sight of his quarry, he silenced his thoughts and waited for them to come closer. Much to Neville's shock, Harry hastily pulled he and Luna into an empty compartment on the Express before sealing it tight with every locking charm he knew. He then placed a strong notice-me-not charm on the door for good measure. Luna, on the other hand, never once lost her smile of acceptance.

"Um… how will Ron and Hermione find us, Harry?"

The other boy ran his fingers through his unruly hair and smiled nervously. "I don't want them to find me, Neville." He sighed. "Look… I have some things to tell you, but you can't tell anyone else no matter whether or not you approve, okay?"

"Of course Harry!" Luna's smile made the brunette relax. Neville was quick to offer his own reassurances.

"Okay… I found my soul mate. And it's a 'he' and also a vampire." Harry laid everything out and braced himself for possible rejection. What he didn't expect was for Luna to squeal excitedly and wrap her arms around him in a hug.

"Oh wow Harry… I'm so happy for you!" She pulled back, still beaming. "It's incredibly rare for a human to find their soul mate!"

Neville was a bit more nonplussed, but he immediately smiled when he saw Harry was worried about his reaction. "Luna's right, it's super rare. I'm happy for you too, Harry." He scratched his head. "Wow… I never thought **you'd** be a dark wizard! Dumbledore's going to flip," he exclaimed.

Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean, Nev? I'm not a dark wizard."

Luna giggled. "Silly Harry! You'd have to be a dark wizard to be the mate of a dark creature. It's okay," she said when Harry's expression turned fearful, "your true friends would never judge you."

He chuckled wryly. "I know, Luna… it's why I brought just you two in here. You guys are the only ones I know that I can count on, no matter what." He looked at Neville. "How do you feel about this honestly, Nev? I know your family has been torn apart by dark wizards."

The Longbottom scion smiled in reassurance. "Harry, you're the only one in our entire year who has never treated me like an almost-squib, or looked down on me when I melted a cauldron in potions. You listen to me when I ramble on about whatever plant I'm interested in even though I know you're not crazy about herbology, and you always make me feel as if I'm someone important." Neville shook his head. "I don't care if you're mated to V… Voldemort, himself, Harry… I'll always have your back."

Harry felt his eyes sting with tears before heartily embracing the other Gryffindor. "You are someone important, Nev. You're more important than you could ever imagine." He pulled Luna into the embrace. "Both of you are."

"Yeah, don't forget to tell your vampy lover boy how important we are," said Neville as he bashfully pulled out of the hug. "I'd hate to end up as a late night snack over a misconception."

The friends laughed and talked through the entire train ride, never knowing or caring that Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had spent most of the trip anxiously searching for any sign of the trio.

* * *

"Harry James Potter, where have you been?!" Hermione Granger broke away from Ron as soon as she caught sight of the raven-haired wizard stepping off the train.

Harry sighed angrily and spun to face the irate witch, smiling briefly at Luna's sympathetic glance. "I've been with my friends, Hermione," he responded coolly as the bushy-haired girl was soon joined by Ron and his sister.

Ron scrunched his face in confusion. "What are you talking about? You weren't with us… we haven't seen you in days!"

"You didn't even come to visit us in the hospital wing, Harry," Granger continued. Harry could almost see the steam coming from her ears. "I know you're down about Sirius, but you're too old to completely disregard your obligations…." She stopped mid-sentence when Harry raised his hand for silence.

"Listen closely guys, because I'm only going to say this once. My avoiding you has nothing to do with Sirius… well not really, though I suppose his death was the catalyst." He took a deep breath and continued, meeting their eyes so that they would know he was serious. Feeling Neville and Luna close by gave him the confidence he needed to do this. "After the Department of Mysteries battle I've come to realize just how unhappy I've been with my life, so I've decided to live the way I want to live and forget about everyone else.

"Hermione," Harry continued. "You annoy me." He ignored her angry sputtering in response to his blunt statement. "You've always annoyed me. Your bossy attitude and determination to make everyone feel as if they're beneath you intellectually is **beyond** aggravating. I especially can't stand the way you nag and lecture me as if you think that just because my mother is dead, you're allowed to fill that role. I've never told you that before, because I've been too nice… but the time for politeness has passed, I think."

Ron's hateful glare bore into him as Harry turned his attention toward his roommate. "I've been dealing with your jealousy and pettiness for far too long, Ron. Seriously, it's gotten to the point where I'm scared to buy new things because I know your face is going to turn bright red whenever you see them. I've always known you weren't a true friend from the first time you asked to see my scar on the train, but desperation to be accepted made me cling to you none-the-less. Your actions in regards to the Triwizard Tournament just served to prove me right.

"And Ginny." The youngest Weasley, who'd been watching the entire confrontation with a mixture of fear and misery, snapped her attention to Harry as he addressed her. "I have **zero** romantic interest in you. I've never had any interest in you at all, actually. You're nothing more than a fangirl who grew up listening to stories of heroic Harry Potter and is determined to one day marry your white knight." The girl's eyes pathetically filled with tears. "I'm not that hero, Ginny. I'll never be that hero, and what's more… I don't **want** to be that hero."

Harry walked away with Neville and Luna following closely behind, leaving his ex-friends behind to gawk, no doubt wondering what in the world had come over Harry Potter. None of them noticed Theodore Nott or Blaise Zabini off to the side, watching the departing wizard with great interest.

* * *

Jasper couldn't believe how quickly he was able to find the perfect house. His internet search had pulled up a lovely four bedroom house in Chessington. It had everything he desired… seclusion, space, and plenty of room for upgrades should they need them. He had scheduled an appointment with the Realtor for the day Harry would be leaving school and was signing the paperwork the same day. It was amazing how fast people could push things through when you were willing to pay cash.

After pocketing the keys to his new home, Jasper set about renting a truck and purchasing furniture. He wanted the house to be as cozy as possible for when he picked Harry up for their trip to Gringotts the next day. He could only hope the goblins worked as quickly as the lady who sold him the house. He was in the midst of maneuvering the new black leather sofa through the doorway when his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. Jasper ignored it in favor of completing his task, but when two more followed in quick succession he hastily set the couch down and pulled the device out.

"Go to Harry now, Jas," Alice had texted in a panic. Following that message were two more, equally as urgent as the first. Furniture completely forgotten, Jasper vaulted over the sofa and revved up his motorcycle. He hated that it was daylight and there wasn't any forest cover to run through without being exposed. Instead, he pressed his bike as fast as it could go as he headed for Privet Drive to find out what was transpiring. As he weaved in and out of traffic he couldn't help but be thankful that he'd taken the time to learn where Harry's house was located earlier in the day.

If anything had happened to his mate, the world was going to feel his wrath.

* * *

Harry held his hand over his face in the attempt to stanch the flow of blood from his nose. Vernon had obviously not taken the threat delivered by the order members well. He couldn't believe their stupidity! They **knew** he was abused in this house… why the fuck would they deliberately wind up his uncle with threats and accusations and then send him on his way?! Who the fuck did they **think** Dursley was going to vent his anger on? Precious Duddikins? On the entire car ride home Harry felt as if he were going to throw up from whatever terrors awaited him behind the closed doors of Number Four Privet Drive.

He didn't have long to wait, for as soon as Harry had drug his trunk through the door and closed it a punch came flying at his face. Looming over him was the angry visage of his uncle. "Put that trunk in the cupboard and make sure that stick is inside it when you do! Then I want you in the kitchen fixing us a good dinner, and don't even **start** to think you're getting any of it. After that… upstairs where you and I are going to have a little chat about respect!"

Harry did as his uncle ordered and locked his trunk inside the tiny cupboard which had served as his room for most of his life, thankful that he'd told Hedwig to remain at Hogwarts for an extra week before finding him. He ignored Dudley's gleeful chuckles at his expense as well as his aunt's repugnant expression and focused on fixing the meal Petunia had laid out for him to prepare. He knew that when Vernon used the term "little chat," he was going to be thrashed to within an inch of his life. Considering both this and his new outlook on life, Harry discretely slipped the butcher knife he'd used to chop the onions into the waistband of his jeans.

He planned on having a little chat with his uncle as well.

* * *

Thank you all for reading and reviewing!


	4. Comeuppance

**Warning:** I know I put a general warning for violence on the first chapter, but just in case you missed it… there **will be blood and gore** in this chapter… a lot of it.

**Chapter 4 – Comeuppance**

As soon as Harry laid the dinner out on the table and called the Dursleys to their meal, he numbly climbed the stairs up to the second floor. The butcher knife concealed in his jeans grew heavier with each step he took, causing him to worry that it would fall out before he reached safety. The wizard felt a bit nauseous, but couldn't say whether it was because of what was soon to happen in his tiny bedroom or the disgusting sound of Vernon and Dudley gorging themselves on the meal he had been forced to prepare. Harry was feeling somewhat grateful that Vernon forbade him from eating… he wasn't sure if he would have been able had he been allowed.

Harry closed his door and rested against it for a moment, his heart fluttering wildly inside his chest. He pulled out the heavy knife and hid it beneath his mattress. The raven-haired wizard would have given nearly anything to have a cellphone in that moment. He was certain that Jasper would tell him what he should do in this situation… or at least give him some moral support. The thoughts of his vampire steeled his resolve to go through with his plans. After all, what kind of mate would he be if he continued to let a mere muggle push him around?

He knew the drill. Once dinner was over Aunt Petunia would begin hoovering the downstairs. The high-pitched whining of the machine's motor was insurance against the neighbors hearing their nephew's screams. Vernon was then going to barge through that door with his belt in hand and, once Harry was reduced to a bleeding pile of flesh, the bastard would grunt in satisfaction and leave. Then Dudley, who would be impatiently waiting downstairs until his father was done, would happily enter the room and laugh at his cousin's misfortune.

But not anymore. Harry refused to take even one more beating from these loathsome excuses for humans. He refused to bare his back to that man ever again, and if it took gouging out his eyes with the knife he had smuggled into his room, then so be it. If the events began to play out as they had since he was five, then one of them would **not** be leaving this room alive.

The time leading up to the sound of the vacuum being turned on seemed to pass in both an instant and an eternity. Sure enough, Harry's door was flung open hard enough for the knob to smack against the plaster before a meaty hand slammed it closed once more. Vernon Dursley smiled with sadistic glee as he pulled the brown leather belt free from his slacks and approached the fifteen-year-old who was trembling from a mixture of nerves and anger.

"You know the routine, freak," the abusive asshole spat. "Shirt off and hands against the wall."

Harry, still shaking like a leaf caught in a hurricane, slowly shook his head. "No." He inched closer to where the knife was hidden, but didn't count on Vernon reacting immediately to his defiance.

With a loud smack, the boy was sent reeling. He registered the stinging coming from his face moments before his body hit the stand beside his bed. The small table, which was rickety on its best days, broke completely as the meagre weight of the teenager landed on it. Before he could even think to right himself, his uncle grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up until their faces were inches apart.

"What did you say to me, boy," Vernon asked in a low voice promising more pain than Harry's body would be able to handle.

Acting much braver than he felt, Harry glared hatefully at the giant waste of flesh before him. "I said no, you stupid fuck!" And if his words left any room for doubt, the teen obliterated it by spitting in his uncle's face.

With a roar reminiscent of the sound a wounded bear makes, Vernon pulled the boy's hair down until he was forced to bend over before bringing his knee up into Harry's chest. He heard the distinct snap of at least one rib breaking before he was thrown down. After fighting off the pain and dizziness, the wizard realized he had been tossed close to where he had hidden the knife. Vernon angrily stomped toward him, intending to make Harry pay further for his act of disobedience.

Harry's shaking hand closed around the hilt of the butcher knife and pulled it free. Just as his uncle was about to grab him once more, the teen released a growl of his own and thrust his weapon into the man's stomach. Vernon immediately recoiled and went to grab it, but his nephew was too angry and too motivated to be stopped. Eyes shining with excitement and adrenaline, Harry repeatedly pierced the blade into any part of his uncle that he could reach.

Vernon, anger having been replaced with terror, gave up trying to claim the butcher knife and began crawling frantically for the door. He continually coughed up blood from the punctured lung he'd received in the frenzy moments before. A sound similar to a whimper left him when Harry crawled on top of him and began to wage war on the man's unprotected back. The wizard laughed with the exhilaration he was feeling, knowing Vernon would never be able to hurt him again.

"Not so tough now, are you Uncle," Harry asked the pathetic man beneath him. The only answer he received was the wheezing gurgle as he slowly drowned in his own blood. Loving the idea of his uncle suffering as much as possible, Harry sat back and watched the life slowly leave his tormentor. Panting as the rush of adrenaline began to leave him, the teen never lost the smile on his face as he moved to where he could meet the other's gaze.

"Nothing to say now, Vernon? Cat got your tongue?" Harry chuckled as the desperate eyes began pleading for his life. He looked around at his room. Blood was everywhere. Seeing bits of flesh mixed in with the various splatters pushed his excitement to a new level. "You know… despite my loathing for everything that represents Gryffindor, I think red just might be my new favorite color." He grinned as Vernon's wheezes began tapering off. "I wonder if Petunia and Dudley's blood is the exact same shade as yours… I guess we'll just have to see."

That was the last thing Vernon Dursley heard as the life faded from his panicked eyes completely.

Despite his final taunting words to his hated uncle, Harry wasn't quite feeling up to committing another gruesome murder just yet. The pounding of his head competed fiercely with the burning in his chest from where his ribs were broken. Once the adrenaline had completely left him, Harry could do little more than drag himself backwards and rest against the wall. He belatedly realized after inspecting a suspicious stinging coming from his hand that the knife must have slipped at some point and opened a gash there. Reaching behind him, the teen picked up a blood-soaked pillow and removed the case in order to wrap the cloth around his wound.

It wouldn't do to bleed to death after the first act of revenge he'd ever taken.

* * *

If it were physically possible, Jasper's heart would be beating out of his chest as he broke just about every traffic law that existed in order to get to his mate. His Harley, which had been pushed to its limits on the frantic trip, screeched to a stop outside Harry's house. He could smell an outrageous amount of spilt blood before he even reached the front door. The woman, most likely Harry's horrid Aunt Petunia, had peeked through the drapes when she heard his bike roar into the driveway. She opened the front door just as he reached it and gasped in outrage and fright as he roughly shoved her aside and ran up the stairs.

Following the smell of blood, Jasper took a second to growl at the multitude of locks marring the outside of his mate's door and entered the room in a rush. He sighed with relief upon seeing Harry alive and fairly well. The boy was covered in so much blood that it was hard to tell if any of it belonged to him. "Harry," he asked as he knelt down before the teen, "are you hurt?"

Harry was breathing shallowly and his eyes seemed to be having a difficult time focusing, though that could be because he'd lost his glasses in the fight. "I think a rib is broken, my head hurts, and I cut my hand on the knife at some point." He suddenly smiled. "But I'm doing loads better than Vernon."

Jasper chuckled at his Harry's dark humor before the screeching of what sounded like a banshee startled him. Without thinking twice, he was up and had his hand closed around Petunia Dursley's throat, cutting off her hysterics. "Shut up!"

Dudley Dursley, who had hidden inside his room as soon as Jasper barged his way into the house, decided to be brave for the first time in his life and attacked the vampire hurting his mother. Without letting go of his captive, the blonde grabbed the pudgy boy by the hair with his free hand and soon had his teeth buried deep into his neck, feasting heartily on the now squealing boy's blood. Petunia, upon witnessing the oncoming death of her precious son, began fighting with everything she had. Her blows were vastly ineffectual against Jasper's body and soon she screamed in anguish, as much as she was able in her current position, as Dudley's corpse flopped down to the floor beside his father's.

Jasper smirked at Petunia and licked his lips. "Your son's blood was exquisite. I'd try yours, but I'm feeling a little full right now, so I guess I'll just have to let you go free." As soon as he finished talking he let go of her and used his claws to slash open her throat. "Or not." She immediately slid down the wall in shock, covering the grotesque wound with a hand as if she would be able to halt the massive flow of blood. Right before she perished, Petunia Dursley cast her gaze over to her hated nephew.

Harry responded by waving happily in her direction with his good hand. "Enjoy your stay in hell with your husband and son, dear Auntie."

Jasper stepped over the bodies and tenderly picked his mate up. "As sexy as you look bathed in the blood of your victims, I think we should get you cleaned up so I can tend to your wounds."

The teen grimaced as his rib shifted. "Probably not a bad idea."

Jasper soon had Harry naked and in the shower. Once his wizard was clean, he carried him to the master bedroom before leaving to find a first aid kit. Once he located what he needed beneath the bathroom sink, he had both the wound and Harry's chest wrapped tightly. "That should hold you for now. You just rest here while I clean up the mess."

"What about the bodies," Harry asked as he shifted in a bid to get comfortable. "I can't let you do all the work… especially when I made most of the mess, Jasper."

The vampire chuckled. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I'll simply stuff them all in the trunk of their car and make it look like they've taken a little trip somewhere. By the time I'm done, no one will be able to tell that a murder took place here." He leaned down to capture Harry's lips in a tender kiss. "People will think that something must have happened to the poor family on their trip out of town."

Harry smirked up at his mate. "You're devious, Jasper."

"Why thank you, darlin'," the vampire replied with a grin before getting to work. Harry was soon drifting off, the pain medication Jasper had located for him having made him drowsy.

* * *

Harry woke up to the feeling of Jasper wrapping him in something. "It's okay… I'm just getting you into some heavier clothing. I don't want you to get chilled on my motorcycle."

Still somewhat loopy from the drugs, the teen asked, "Where we goin'?"

Zipping up the black leather jacket he'd located in Dudley Dursley's closet, Jasper responded, "To my house in Chessington. Thank goodness I already bought a bed and some coverings."

The teen was confused. "What about the Dursleys?"

Jasper smiled softly and brushed the raven hair out of his face. "It's okay, Harry. I took care of everything already. I drove the bodies out to a remote location and disposed of them and the car. The blood's been cleaned up, and I wrote a note in Petunia's handwriting informing you that they were going to spend the weekend at the beach and you could fend for yourself in the meantime."

Harry allowed the vampire to help him up. "My trunk… with Petunia dead the wards will soon fall if they haven't already and Dumblefuck will be sure to send someone out to check." He couldn't believe he forgot about the wards until this moment!

Jasper opted to carry him rather than watch the teen struggle to climb down the steps in his condition. "Don't worry. I've already got it strapped to the back of my bike."

As soon as they had stepped outside Harry could feel himself wake up a bit more. He ignored the various aches and pains from his injuries as Jasper got him situated on the motorcycle before climbing on behind him. He smiled as a kiss was pressed against his head. "Lean on me, Harry and don't worry about a thing… I'll never let you fall."

With those words, Jasper revved the engine and sped off into the night.

* * *

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed! You guys are so freaking amazing :)


	5. Rest and Recovery

**Chapter 5 – Rest and Recovery**

When Jasper pulled into his drive he was immediately on edge. The sofa that he had left in the doorway was gone and the door now closed. Sniffing the air, he relaxed when he caught the familiar scent of Edward, Carlisle, and Emmett. Happy to see that they had unloaded the rental truck, the blonde helped his mate off of the bike and into the house. Afraid that the sudden presence of three strange vampires might startle him and subsequently jostle Harry's broken rib, Jasper warned the wizard about his family's presence. Still tired and in pain, the teen barely reacted to the news.

"Hey guys," Jasper said after seeing the smiling visages of the three vampires milling around his living room.

Carlisle immediately adopted a concerned expression when he took in the sight of the banged up teen leaning heavily against his son. "Hi Jasper. What happened… this is Harry, I presume?"

Harry smiled wearily and reached out his good hand to shake. "Yes sir… Harry Potter."

"Harry had a run in with his uncle, but he took care of it," Jasper said with a fond smile directed to his mate. "From what I can tell he has a broken rib and a sliced hand. He complained about a headache but I couldn't find any evidence of a bump, and you can see his face is bruised up but nothing's broken."

Edward, who read what happened in his brother's head, raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "Now I see why you have no interest in returning to the vegetarian lifestyle… your mate is as dark as you are, Jas."

The blonde looked up and smirked. "Well, he is **my** mate Edward."

Jasper carried Harry up the stairs and settled him in the master bedroom. He got his wizard changed into a pair of his own sleep pants… not that he had ever worn them for sleeping. "Thanks for setting everything up, guys. I really appreciate it."

Carlisle smiled as he settled next to Harry with his medical bag and carefully cut the tape binding the teen's ribs. "It was no problem, son. We were happy to help." The doctor listened to his patient's heart and lungs before palpating the area around the broken rib. He cringed when the action caused Harry to start moaning in pain. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts, but I need to make sure your rib isn't in danger of puncturing a lung or your heart. It's wonderful to meet you, by the way. I'm Carlisle and these are my other sons Emmett and Edward. Jasper has told us so much about you."

Breathing shallowly through the pain, Harry responded. "Nice… to meet you… too. Jasper often… talks about you… as well."

"Aw crap, Edward," Emmett elbowed his brother. "Jasper probably told him everything." He turned to the teen with a goofy grin and raised his hands up in a placating manner. "I swear I really have no idea how that bear ended up in Edward's room."

Harry chuckled, then winced at the movement. "Didn't… anyone ever… tell you… not to play… with your food?"

"Yes," Edward responded with a genial smile, "but Emmett's not best known for his listening skills. Speaking of food, Jasper has none in the house. Tell me what you like to eat and I'll go grab you something."

The wizard sighed in relief as Carlisle injected a pain killer into his veins. "I'll eat anything really. Thanks Edward."

"Okay," the doctor said as Emmett and Edward left the house, "it was a clean break and should heal fairly easily as long as you follow my instructions and don't try to do too much. I'll leave you some pain killers, but only take them if the over-the-counter meds don't work. I'd like you to also give ice packs a try; they should help control the pain as well. Forget about binding the ribs. You need to be able to breathe as deeply as possible to keep from developing pneumonia."

Jasper looked stricken. "His chest has been bound for hours, Carlisle."

The doctor chuckled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's okay, son. Harry's lungs are clear." He replaced the items taken from his bag. "Try to take a real deep breath at least once an hour, or even cough. That should keep them clear."

"Thank you Carlisle," slurred Harry. He was beginning to doze from the shot of morphine.

"You're welcome, son." As soon as the wizard was out Carlisle removed the bandages from his right hand and inspected the cut. "This isn't too bad. I'll only need to add one or two stitches and he'll be all set."

Jasper watched his father work. As soon as his brothers returned and put the food up, he decided to address what's been on his mind ever since the night he found his mate. "I never did say thank you."

Confusion bled from the doctor. "For what, Jasper?"

"For accepting me… a much darker me, with an equally dark mate."

Emmett scoffed. "You're our brother, Jasper."

"Jasper," Edward's amber gaze stared into Jasper's red eyes. "We've always known you were dark, and we've never cared. The only reason we worked so hard to keep you from feeding on humans is because we wanted to keep you with us as long as possible… it had nothing to do with being ashamed of you."

"That's right, son," Carlisle added as he finished with Harry's hand. "I have many friends who aren't vegetarians. I have never judged them, so how could you ever think I'd find you lacking?" He covered the sleeping fifteen-year-old with the dark green comforter and stood. "I've fought to keep you a vegetarian because it was the only way to keep you close without risking our exposure. I've always felt guilty about it because we could all see how much you struggled to fit in, but I have never once regretted welcoming you and Alice into our family."

Jasper smiled sadly in remembrance of his early years as a vampire. "Joining the family saved me, Carlisle. When I found Alice, I was so disgusted with my life that I didn't care about anything any longer. She explained to me about her vision of vegetarian vampires and, even though it did not sound appetizing, I viewed it as a way to atone for my sins. Killing all those vampires for Maria's army destroyed something inside of me that I was only able to regain through my life with all of you, and I will forever be grateful to you for that."

Emmett made a show of wiping imaginary tears from his face before pouncing on his blonde brother. "Come here, you evil little parasite… give me a hug."

The vampires, afraid to wake Harry, moved into the living room where they caught each other up on everything that had transpired in the time they'd been apart. Jasper took great pleasure in talking about his mate, much to the others' amusement. The jovial atmosphere vanished, however, when he began to tell them about how much the wizarding world had screwed him over. "He's done with them," Jasper said at the end of his tale. "They expect him to save them from Voldemort, but at this point I think they have more to fear from **him** than the Dark Lord."

Edward scowled. "And these wizards proclaim themselves to be the good guys? This Dumbledore guy sounds like he needs to be taken down a few notches."

"Or down completely," Emmett added. "I don't understand how this guy got any say in where to place baby Harry. Is placement for orphaned children a job requirement of school principals nowadays?"

Jasper shook his head. "You got me. I asked Harry why this man is allowed to make decisions like that and get away with it and he said Dumbledore is a very powerful man that nobody dares to question. He could walk up to somebody and kill their pet, proclaiming it to be evil, and the wizarding world would probably throw him a parade for doing it without even thinking to ask for proof."

"If that's the case, why stick around," Carlisle asked. "Why not take Harry and leave this corrupt world behind? There's plenty of open hunting grounds close to where we're staying now, Jasper. You know Esme is anxious to meet her new son."

"I've thought about it," he responded, "but Harry still needs to finish his magical education."

"Plus I'm sure there's some people he'll still want to get revenge on." Emmett grinned goofily at the thought of little Harry wreaking havoc on his enemies.

Jasper snorted. "That too."

His father and brothers stayed for a few more hours before heading home. Carlisle still had to go to work in the morning. Jasper promised to bring his mate by sometime during the summer for a proper meeting. He couldn't wait to see how Harry took to Esme. The teen had gone way too long without a mother figure, so he was certain that the gentle vampire would soon have his mate wrapped around her little finger. She was nothing like that loud, obnoxious woman Molly Weasley. Harry had described how much he had loved being mothered by her at first until he realized that she knew about the abuse he suffered at the Dursleys, but did nothing to stop it.

"The moment I found out she already knew," Harry had said while reclined against Jasper's chest in the forbidden forest, "was when I lost almost all hope of ever escaping that life. Sirius was my last chance for freedom until I met you."

Jasper lay down on the bed beside his mate, watching him sleep. He tenderly kissed the sleeping boy's temple. "I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy, darlin'," he whispered. "I'll give you all the hope you will ever need or want."

Closing his eyes, Jasper snuggled closer and pretended to sleep with his beloved.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore took his seat at the head of the table he had transfigured in the cramped room. It was almost time for yet another meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Unfortunately he'd been forced to move the headquarters to his office, at least until he could have Harry give Kreacher an order to stay away from the rest of Sirius' family. That is, of course, assuming that the boy has inherited the Black estate. Dumbledore had hoped the vast wealth of one of the wizarding world's oldest families would pass to him, but it seems the house's former lord chose to ignore his multitude of hints about the order desperately needing funds for the upcoming war.

He wasn't worried, however. Dumbledore had manipulating the boy-who-lived down to an art form, and was certain that he could squeeze as much gold out of the teen as he wanted. The old man smiled in amusement. With the death of Sirius Black, he was certain to be the only one the teen would trust in the dark times ahead. The news that Ron and Ginevra Weasley, as well as young Granger, had relayed about Harry's unusual behavior at King's Cross was troubling, but not altogether unexpected. After all, he had just lost the closest thing to a father he had ever had.

Albus had allayed the children's concerns by explaining that Harry had endured a severe shock and, therefore, could not be expected to act in a rational manner. Hermione had immediately agreed with him and began spouting random facts regarding the effect stress has on the brain. Ron wasn't as ready to forgive the brunette, insisting that he wouldn't even think of dismissing the hurtful words until he received a huge apology. Ginny chose to be hopeful that Harry would come around, though she had taken to spending an increasing amount of time in her room crying.

Once everyone had finally arrived, Albus began the meeting. "Welcome! I'd like to thank everyone for coming." Blue eyes sparkled upon seeing all of his most trusted underlings. "Let's get started, shall we? Alastor, were you able to get the point across to Harry's dear uncle about his behavior towards the boy?"

Mad Eye grunted in acknowledgement, his eye continuously taking in everything around him. "Aye, Albus. We told him to watch his step or we'd know about it."

"And how did he take this news?"

"He was madder than a soggy hippogriff. Judging by the color of his face I'd say he was lucky his heard didn't explode." The retired auror's wooden leg clunked as he shifted position in his chair.

"Good. Perhaps he will take proper care of the boy before I retrieve him on his birthday." Albus stroked his beard. Winding up Vernon Dursley was his way of taking revenge for Harry's destruction of his office. Some of the gadgets the boy had destroyed were irreparable. One, in particular, had been a rather complex piece of magic that enabled him to locate Harry should he ever lose track of him. "In fact, I believe I shall pen a note to the muggle, myself. I'll tell him that Harry has just lost his dear godfather and will need more understanding and patience while he mourns." He chuckled inside, knowing the boy would be even more grateful to see him when he deigned to 'save him' on July 31st.

"Perhaps we could bring him back sooner, headmaster," said Kingsley. "I know he had a falling out with his friends, but being around people who care about him can only help him heal faster from Sirius' death."

"Plus we could get back to headquarters. I'm feeling like a tinned sardine," Tonks groused as she shifted in her seat for the hundredth time.

"I would be inclined to agree with you Kingsley, were it not for the blood wards protecting Harry and his family. Those protections are the greatest defense the boy has against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and we cannot afford to lose them." Truth be told, there were no such wards on the boys house. He had originally placed them around the house, but Harry's aunt had needed to feel some kind of affection toward her newly orphaned nephew in order to charge them. The wards had fallen within a week.

Albus quickly wrapped up the meeting and wished everyone a good day while inwardly hoping Harry's day wasn't going well at all.

* * *

Thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed!


	6. Taking Control

**Chapter Notes:** I know you're probably going to be confused about the invisibility cloak, but it has always bothered me that this almighty artifact that was one of the three hallows was just like any other invisibility cloak except for how long it's lasted. You're telling me that the sacred relic that kept Ignotus hidden from death itself, was no match for Alastor Moody's stupid eye? Come on!

**Chapter 6 – Taking Control**

Harry groaned as he wearily opened his eyes. He was briefly confused, knowing his bed at the Dursleys was never **this** comfortable. When the memory of what had transpired came to the wizard's mind, he sighed. Truthfully he had expected to feel remorse for the gruesome murder he'd committed, but Harry knew that he would happily do it again just to see the look of terror Vernon had directed at him right before he snuffed it. He smiled before opening his eyes. He didn't know if Voldemort possessing him had switched something inside his brain to "evil" or if the bond between he and Jasper was responsible, but he really didn't care.

He could think of so many more people he would relish killing.

A warm chuckle from beside him caused his heart to speed up. His beautiful Jasper was watching him in adoration. "Good morning, darlin'," he said while brushing the unruly strands of hair out of his beloved's face. "Give me a second and I'll have your breakfast ready. Do you need me to help you to the bathroom?"

Harry shook his head with a grin. "No, but thank you. This isn't my first broken rib. Later today when we go to Gringotts I'll stop in the apothecary and pick up a bone mending potion. I'll be good as new once that kicks in."

Jasper looked thrilled to hear that. "Do they have something that can heal your hand too?"

Groaning as he pushed himself in a sitting position, Harry answered. "I don't think so, but I know a spell that will mend it. If the goblins can get me emancipated today then I should be able to use magic outside of school without getting expelled." The teen allowed his mate to gently pull him into a standing position. "At least I think that's how it works… I can't say that I've ever known someone who's been emancipated before."

The wizard went through his morning routine as carefully as he could. He had chosen not to take any pain medication because Harry had no idea if it would react badly with the potion he was planning to take later. The shower was particularly difficult since raising his arms caused him a great deal of pain but he was finally able to get his hair washed.

"Hey Jasper," Harry called as he struggled into a pair of jeans and one of Jasper's t-shirts the vampire had pulled out for him, "I don't suppose you know where my glasses are?"

"I'm afraid they were destroyed in the fight, darlin'. I'll make you an appointment to see an optometrist as soon as possible," the vampire answered in the midst of cooking breakfast.

"Alright." He didn't bother telling Jasper that he would be able to fix them once he could use his wand. He could barely see out of those ugly frames anyway. Besides, they had been repaired so much that it was a miracle they hadn't completely disintegrated by now.

The ordeal of getting ready for the day took a lot out of the wizard and left him panting slightly as he took a seat at the table. Jasper smiled and softly kissed him before setting a delicious looking breakfast down in front of him. He quickly dug into the eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry hummed his approval. "Wow… how can someone who doesn't eat human food cook so fabulously?"

The blonde chuckled before pouring his mate a cup of tea. He sat down beside the teenager. "I used to watch Esme cook for Bella."

"Ah, I see," he replied before taking a look around. "I love your house. Are your dad and brothers still around?"

"It's **our** house, Harry. I bought it for the both of us," Jasper said. "And no. They left last night so that Carlisle could go to work this morning. What's wrong," the vampire asked quickly after picking up some weird emotions coming from his mate.

Harry smiled mistily at him. "I've never had a home before… at least not one where I've felt welcomed."

Jasper sighed sadly before brushing a kiss across his mate's cheek. "Well you have a home now, Harry. You will forever have a home with me and I can promise you that you will always be more than welcome."

Unable to find the words to express how much the sentiment meant to him, Harry just squeezed Jasper's hand and smiled.

* * *

Jasper chuckled when he saw two brand new motorcycle helmets left on his bike. The culprit was most likely Carlisle, but he wasn't complaining. Though a wreck wouldn't put him at any risk, he couldn't say the same about Harry. Not to mention the fact that it was against the law to ride without wearing one. He hadn't been concerned last night, way too anxious to get his mate home to worry about petty traffic laws. He handed the teen the silver one with a black flame decal and took the plain black one for himself.

After a stop at the optician's office where Harry was able to get a complete pair of glasses in less than two hours, they continued on toward Magical London. Finding a place to park near Charing Cross road was easier than he thought it would be. Evidently they had picked the perfect time to make the trip. Jasper watched as Harry seemed to shrink into himself before entering the wizarding pub. Knowing all about his love's unwanted fame, he took the lead, letting out waves of fear so that the patrons wouldn't feel the urge to stare. Soon enough they were through the crowd with no one recognizing their "savior" as he passed them. After tapping the correct sequence of bricks in order to enter the alley proper, Harry stood by and let the vampire go first.

Jasper Whitlock was no stranger to the magical world, but his first view of Diagon Alley nearly blew him away regardless. He smirked in amusement as children raced each other on toy brooms while their mothers stood in front of the cauldron shop complaining about the price of lizard toes. He stayed close to Harry as the wizard determinedly made his way into an apothecary called Slug & Jiggers. Once inside, Harry quickly found the needed potion at the back of the store and made his way to the front to pay for it. Thankfully the grizzled old wizard manning the store either didn't notice or care who his customer was because, after taking the money, he focused once again on his magazine.

Once Harry broke the seal on the potion and chugged it back he made the most amusing expression of disgust before flinching as the rib bone repaired itself. Jasper supported him through the pain until they were both certain the elixir had worked. The wizard grinned as he tossed the empty bottle in a nearby rubbish bin. "Damn, I love magic!"

"Is the pain gone completely," Jasper asked as he held the door open for his mate.

Harry took the deepest breath he was able and nodded. "Right as rain. Let's get to Gringotts and hope for good news."

Jasper pulled him off to the side right before they made it to the wizarding bank. "Okay Harry, listen. I started reading up on goblins as soon as I found out they hold the key to getting you emancipated." Once he was certain he held Harry's complete attention, he continued. "Goblins hate wizards, as I'm sure you're aware. They hate wizards because they like to waste time and treat magical creatures as if they're a half step above a skilled pet."

Harry scowled. "Yeah, I've noticed."

"The best way to talk to them will seem rude to you because you're human, but if you follow my directions to the letter you will actually be showing them a great deal of respect."

The wizard looked dubious. "And you're certain you can trust the author of this book? It wasn't by someone named Gilderoy Lockhart, was it?"

"No darlin', I'm pretty sure it was written by a goblin." He shrugged. "I suppose it's possible the goblin was messin' with us, but I guess we'll find out." He grinned at his still skeptical mate. "What do you say we try it my way?"

Harry finally returned the grin and agreed.

* * *

After a crash course in goblin etiquette, Harry felt he was ready to do this. He stormed into the bank with the vampire right behind him and, upon seeing a customer at every open teller, marched up to one of the closed kiosks and threw the "closed" sign across the room. In less than ten seconds a goblin had appeared. Harry wasted no time in demanding an immediate meeting with his account manager. With a grunt the goblin made a motion for the two to follow him down the hall. Once they were shown into a lavish office, the being asked if they would care for refreshments.

Harry responded with a scowl worthy of any goblin. "I'm sorry, is this a bank or a restaurant?! If I wanted refreshments I certainly wouldn't have wasted my time coming to Gringotts, now would I?"

The goblin smirked and nodded before leaving them alone. Jasper had just enough time to reassure Harry that the creature was emitting pleased emotions before another older goblin barged into the room and sat. Harry glared at the newcomer and outlined exactly what he wanted to accomplish on their trip today.

"I am a fifteen-year-old orphan who is due to inherit the entirety of the Potter Estate on July thirty-first of next year. I'm currently being ordered around by Albus Dumbledore who, as far as I know, shouldn't have any say in my life outside of my schooling. The reason I have come here is because my mate," he gestured to Jasper, "has familiarized himself with wizarding law and discovered that I would need to visit this fine establishment in order to be considered for emancipation."

The goblin, whose nameplate identified him as "Axepick", threaded his fingers together and observed the two for a moment. Finally he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a shiny dagger and a piece of parchment. "Place no less than ten drops of your blood on the parchment, Mr. Potter."

Upon doing so, the blood disappeared into the paper and purple writing began to magically appear. Axepick grabbed the document and read through it before refocussing on his client. "There is no need to emancipate you, Mr. Potter. According to the heritage test you have just taken, you have already entered a soul bond. The moment the two of you found each other your fates were intertwined… unable to be severed. This gives you all the rights and responsibilities as any adult in the magical world."

Harry's brow creased in confusion. "What… you mean like marriage?"

"Stronger than marriage. Married couples can divorce, Mr. Potter. You and your mate will never part. Incidentally, this means that the marriage contract Albus Dumbledore has filed to bind you to a Ginevra Weasley has been nullified."

"What?!" Harry stood up angrily. "That manipulative son of a bitch!" Fists clenched in rage, he slowly regained control of himself with the help of Jasper's gift. "What else has that bastard done to me? Has he had access to my accounts?"

"Unfortunately so," remarked Axepick, completely unconcerned with Harry's tantrum. "Though he wasn't able to take any money, he has helped himself to many Potter artifacts. But," the goblin continued with a hand raised in placation, "I can easily have an audit done and have everything returned to the family vault. Anything removed from a family vault is automatically catalogued should it ever need to be recalled."

"Good. How long has it been since he has accessed my vaults?"

Checking the file, Axepick replied, "Five years ago. He removed an invisibility cloak."

Sighing, Harry retook his seat. "Okay… at least he gave the cloak back to me, though he lied about my father leaving it in his care."

The goblin flipped a page. "No, Mr. Potter. I don't know which cloak he gave to you, but the one he took is currently sitting in a warded room inside his quarters in Hogwarts."

"Once you recall the items, how soon will it take for them to arrive," asked Jasper.

"It's nearly instantaneous. However," Axepick added, "we do have other matters to discuss. It seems Sirius Black has named you heir of his entire estate, Mr. Potter. Would you like to claim it at this time?"

"Yes… anything that gives me more power to fight Dumbledore. What about the Potter estate. Can't I claim it yet?"

Pulling a sheaf of papers from his desk, the goblin shook his head. "No need to claim your status as head of Potter house. You are the last blood relative so it has always been yours." Placing the documents before the wizard, he was instructed to sign in many places with a blood quill before the papers magically rolled up and disappeared in a flash of gold light.

Once Harry had given the order to have all of his belongings recalled, Axepick asked, "Alright gentlemen… you have accomplished everything you have set out to do. Can Gringotts be of further service to you today?"

Smirking, the wizard nodded. "Yes. I wish to know if you have the ability to evict freeloaders from my house."

The goblin grinned evilly. "Any particular place you'd like them to end up, Mr. Potter?"

* * *

Inside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Molly Weasley was putting the finishing touches on her dinner. Albus had stopped by to enjoy the family meal and she was anxious to have everything absolutely perfect. Arthur was in the den reading the newspaper while Ronald was supposed to be working on his summer assignments up in his room. Molly liked to think she was familiar with her son well enough by now to know that he was most likely reading a quidditch magazine.

Ginny, who had been moping about ever since Harry's angry words a few days before, was finally back to being a bubbly girl. Molly knew it was probably a mistake to tell her only daughter about the betrothal contract she and Albus had set up between the girl and Harry, but the witch had been desperate to see her depression lift. Once Ginny was told her eyes lit up and she bounced off to her room to practice writing her name as "Lady Ginny Potter."

And Kreacher… the disgusting little elf still patrolled the halls and insulted her and her family, though lately they had taken to ignoring him. Albus swore to her that it was safe to have him about as long as they didn't discuss Order business inside the house. There was nothing keeping the creepy little thing from reporting to Sirius' darker kinfolk, but he wasn't able to circumvent the fidelius charm and bring anyone inside the house.

"Alright everyone," Molly's voice boomed out, "time to eat!"

Soon the kitchen was swarming with hungry people. Ron shoved Ginny aside and began shoveling food into his gaping mouth before he had even fully sat down. Dumbledore beamed widely at the spread and began helping himself to the succulent morsels.

"This is delicious as usual, Mollywobbles," proclaimed Arthur from his seat at the head of the table.

"Thank you dear!" She frowned as she looked at how few people were in the house. "I never thought I'd say this, but I find myself missing Fred and George's antics. I wonder how well they're making do on their own."

Before anyone had time to answer her, they all found themselves suddenly airborne in a whoosh of magic before being brutally dumped in a towering pile of garbage in Mucking Marshes Landfill. Screaming in disgust, Molly pulled herself into a sitting position and immediately covered her nose. The smell was atrocious! She failed to locate her wand, but stopped looking when the sound of Ginevra's retching met her ears. Her daughter had somehow landed amidst a pile of rotted food. Dumbledore was the most unfortunate individual, having ended up upside down in a mound of used nappies.

"Oh Merlin, Molly… can you find your wand," Asked her husband as he tried to get to her without sliding down the huge pile. "What happened?!"

"Mum," exclaimed Ron from somewhere behind his parents, "I think my bloody arm is broken… and there's some kind of dead animal right beside me!"

"Hang on, Ronald," Molly called, nearly sobbing at this disastrous situation. "Your father and I will be there shortly." She turned her attention to Arthur. "No. I don't have a clue where my wand is, or why this happened. You don't suppose the twins…."

Assisting his wife as she tried to stand up, he cut her off, "Of course not! Fred and George wouldn't do anything like this, I'm certain of it."

One thing's for sure, thought Molly, this might be the worst thing she had ever had happen to her. If they ever did locate their wands it was going to still take weeks to get the smell out of her head. She paused in shock when a scroll popped into existence in front of her face. Quickly reading it, she screeched in a mixture of shock and outrage, causing everyone's attention to move to her.

"What's wrong Molly," Albus asked after finally extracting himself from the disgusting pile of nappies, "besides the obvious, of course."

"We… we've been given a bill from Harry! He's gone to the goblins and had us evicted from his house and is charging us for everything that went missing from headquarters after Sirius' death!" Molly was unsure whether to feel extremely angry or upset for the boy's audacity. "Apparently the goblins had catalogued all of Sirius' belongings once he took up the mantle of head of house and there are many things which are missing from the house that **we're** being blamed for!"

Albus stared vacantly into space before coming back to himself and began frantically searching for his wand.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!


	7. Freak Out

**Chapter 7 – Freak Out**

After leaving Gringotts, Harry took a moment to unwrap the bandages from his right hand and cast an episkey on the wound. He winced at the weird feeling of his skin magically stitching itself back together. The wizard then tugged the two, now useless, stitches out that Carlisle had placed and wiggled his fingers, smiling at his vampire. Jasper returned the smile, beyond thrilled that his mate's hand had instantly healed without even leaving a scar behind.

The mates then drove to the Black ancestral home, determined to check out things there before returning to their house. Harry grimaced in disgust as he realized nothing had changed since the last time he'd visited. Grime still coated everything, the painting of Walburga Black still screamed her head off, and Kreacher the house elf still spewed out insults every time he caught sight of someone who wasn't a pureblood or "blood traitor." The elderly elf had just called Jasper a "disgusting half breed" when Harry grabbed the creature by the throat and threw him against the nearest wall.

The wizard leaned in until his nose was an inch away from Kreacher's. "If I hear one more disparaging word come from your filthy little mouth I will personally order you to pull out your own tongue and shove it up your arse. Do you understand me?" Harry squeezed until the small being could barely breathe. Kreacher immediately nodded as fear clouded his bugged out eyes. "Good." The elf fell hard to the floor, gasping for breath, as Harry stalked through the house with a smirking Jasper close behind.

With a wave of his wand Harry had all of the Weasleys' belongings packed, including their wands which had been left behind per his request when the goblins dumped them in the landfill. Harry didn't want them to recover from that trip too soon. Hopefully the entire lot of them would be searching for their wands for hours before giving up and going back to their home. Harry, of course, had made certain the few Weasleys that he liked weren't among the ones staying at the Order of the Phoenix's former headquarters before the sudden eviction. Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie were the only redeemable ones, in his opinion, and weren't to be harmed unless they proved to be a nuisance.

He chuckled madly when he found the esteemed Albus Dumbledore's wand with the others. All were laying among the remnants of the feast they had been enjoying before their forced departure. Harry happily floo'd everyone's possessions to their respective residences before sealing the fire place. The fidelius charm had been reset when he took up the mantle as head of the House of Black and he and Jasper were currently the only ones capable of entering Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

Jasper watched with sadistic glee as his soon-to-be lover inspected every room one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The wizard stopped suddenly inside the library and exuded a mixture of curiosity and excitement. "What are you planning, darlin'?"

Harry turned to him and grinned. "Well… I want to get back at everyone I can't stand, right?"

"Yes," the blonde answered with a tilt to his head.

The wizard smirked and, with a wave of his wand, began pulling the books down from the shelves and shrinking them before directing them into a nearby trunk. The trunk obviously had an expansion charm because he soon had the entire Black library enclosed within the chest without a problem.

After completing his task, Harry wrapped his arms around Jasper's neck and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. "Well, I can't think of a better place to find the perfect revenge than books on the dark arts. Most curses that the ministry labels dark is because there isn't a counter to them." Bright green eyes sparkled as they met the scarlet orbs of Jasper. "What's the point of coming up with ways to torture those pathetic excuses for humans if that bookworm Granger can dispel all my hard work with a bit of research?"

Jasper chuckled. "I see your point, love. Though you could always feed them to me."

Harry laughed happily before floating the now-full trunk behind them as they left the dank house. "That, too, has its merits, but I was hoping for something that would have them suffering for a while before I decide to grant them the sweet release of death."

Soon the chest was strapped to the back of the Harley Davidson and the boys were zooming toward their new home. Neither saw the despicable house elf Kreacher eyeing his new master with respect from the window as they left.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore frantically searched the landfill for any sign of his wand. The Weasleys had done the same, but had given the cause up as lost soon after. They had been determined that their wands were simply gone and they would have to make do with replacements, providing they could spare the gold to purchase them, of course. The headmaster couldn't afford to give up, for the wand he controlled was no mere Ollivander creation. Oh no… he was the master of the most unique wand in existence and, since no two wands were alike, that was saying something.

If he walked away now, Albus would be giving up his ownership of the fabled Elder Wand… the most powerful wand ever crafted, and one of three artifacts he had dedicated his entire life to possessing. He had both Antioch Peverell's wand and Ignotus Peverell's invisibility cloak, though he had helped himself to both through unscrupulous means, and he wasn't planning to give up on either. It had honestly never occurred to him until he had spent nearly four hours pawing through garbage that he could grab his old wand from his office and return to this landfill and simply summon his beloved wand. By the time he came to this conclusion the Weasleys were all exhausted and more than a little cranky… especially young Ronald with an obviously broken arm his father had splinted with things found in the immediate area.

Of course they couldn't simply apparate without wands… not even the great Albus Dumbledore could manage that, so they were forced to trudge the nearly thirty miles to London, as not one of them had enough money to summon the Knight Bus. Albus had tried, with the intent to pay the fare at a later date, only to have the door shut in his face when their odor drifted inside. By the time they had finally piled into the wizarding tavern they were all extremely sick of each other. Albus had all but threatened Tom to let them make use of his floo, but it was wholly unnecessary. The bartender was more than happy to send them and their foul stench far away from his pub. Needless to say everyone's appetites had fled once **that** bedraggled group had appeared!

After Dumbledore left The Leaky Cauldron in a whoosh of green flames back to Hogwarts, the four Weasleys were forced to make their own way back to the Burrow since the floo at Grimmauld Place refused to accept them. They were happy to find their wands and other possessions waiting for them, even though all of them were planning on having words with Harry Potter the next time they laid eyes on him for causing this entire ordeal! Once Ron's arm was properly set thanks to Molly's potions and healing spells, the lot of them happily washed away their traumatic night and went to bed.

* * *

As soon as Albus' feet stepped out of his fireplace in his office he saw his beloved wand on the floor. The old wizard beamed for a moment, grateful that he didn't have to revisit hell on Earth once more to find his prized possession. Once he made his way into his private rooms the headmaster had removed as much filth from his body as he was able, but it wasn't until he had viciously scrubbed himself with scalding water and soap that he truly felt clean. As he soaked himself in his second bath of the night, Albus was worried the smell would never completely dissipate despite his efforts.

Harry James Potter… Albus couldn't wait to exact some revenge for everything that whelp had put him through tonight. If he thought Vernon Dursley was someone to be feared, he was about to experience the wakeup call of the century. So the boy found out about his inheritance and he thought that made him a big man? The elderly wizard chuckled. No, Harry would soon find out who the real man was in this game.

As he dried himself off there was a little niggling worry, however. He knew how powerful the goblins were, and they certainly were behind the clever bit of magic that forced him and the Weasleys into that landfill. What if that hadn't been the extent of the aid they lent to the young man? Stomach filling with anxiousness, Albus quickly dressed into clean pajamas and made his way to the heavily warded room where he kept all of his treasures.

Once the heavy door was opened he gasped in dismay. Everything he had removed from the Potter vault was gone! Screaming in anger, Albus Dumbledore shoved over the bookcase that was once filled with priceless tomes that he had barely begun to look through! His breath left him completely when he noticed the jewel of his collection missing. Ignotus Peverell's famous invisibility cloak was gone and the headmaster flung the empty mannequin he had used for display purposes to the side.

Harry Potter was going to pay for this insult with his life!

* * *

A few days after their Gringotts trip, Jasper happily watched his mate lounge on their bed as he combed through one of the darker books he had brought from Grimmauld Place. The young man was determined to find the perfect spells to cut his pseudo friends down to size before the summer was over. As the wizard flipped another page he absently stretched his right arm over his head. The vampire let out an involuntary moan as the borrowed t-shirt rode up enough to expose a strip of the teen's taut abdomen. He received a smile from Harry once the young human noticed his presence before the book was set aside. "Hello Jasper, how are you?"

The vampire loved that, no matter how busy he was, the wizard always found time for him. Jasper smirked as he leaned over Harry and captured the luscious lips in a tender kiss. The human released his own moan as the blonde's tongue demanded entrance into his mouth. The two fought a brief battle for dominance before the wizard submitted as the vampire knew he would. Thankful that they were already on the bed, Jasper climbed on top of his mate and devoured him.

Harry panted harshly for breath as his mate kissed and nibbled a line down his neck. He tilted his head back to offer more to the blonde as his hands moved under the blue silk shirt and lightly raked his nails down the cool skin of Jasper's back. "Please, Jasper," the wizard breathed. His back arched as the vampire pulled up Harry's shirt and began tonguing his navel.

Smirking deviously, Jasper raised his head to meet the slightly out of focus emerald gaze of his mate. "Please what, darlin'? What would you like me to do?"

The human moaned, and what little blood that hadn't gone to his cock tinged his face red in embarrassment. It was then that Jasper remembered that his mate was a virgin… a **young** virgin. He crawled up the lithe body beneath him once more and lined his hard member up with Harry's. As he leaned down to capture the already opened mouth once more, Jasper ground their erections together, causing his mate to scream in ecstasy around their kiss.

Once Harry became more comfortable with their play, he began meeting Jasper's thrusts and soon they had both reached an intense orgasm. The vampire rolled over and pulled the teen close, holding him through the aftershocks and monitoring his emotions to make sure Harry had been truly ready for that step. Thankfully there was only contentment and excitement in the air and not a trace of shame.

It took a few minutes before Harry's breathing returned to normal, but once it did he said, "That was bloody brilliant." He grabbed his wand from the bedside table and cleaned the sticky mess away from them both.

Jasper smirked and ran his fingers through the slightly sweaty locks of his soul mate. "Just wait till we're both naked… it gets much better, darlin'."

* * *

As soon as Harry fell asleep that night, Jasper had left to hunt. He ran all the way to Walthamstow and followed a rhythmic thumping noise until he found an active nightclub. The vampire nearly shivered in anticipation as he easily blended with the shadows and waited. Soon enough he heard a high-pitched drunken giggle of a girl who'd had too much to drink. She stumbled out into the parking lot alone, which he thought unusual until he spied the golden wedding band on her finger. "Hubby must be taking care of the check," he thought as he stalked closer.

The vivacious redhead had just lit up a cigarette when an ice-cold hand shot out and covered her mouth before she was pulled deeper into the shadows. Her attempted screams were lost amid the loud music and joyous humans inhabiting the nightclub. Once the girl's heart had finally stopped, Jasper could hear his latest victim's escort calling her name as he began the fruitless search for his wife. Jasper quickly threw the body into the deep ravine behind the club and left.

The only evidence he had ever been there was a freshly lit cigarette on the ground and a male voice desperately calling for someone named Amber.

* * *

Thanks so much for the awesome reviews!


	8. Molly's Revenge

**Chapter 8 – Molly's Revenge**

Harry woke up to the feel of gentle cool hands caressing his body. He smiled and rolled over to face his mate when Jasper placed a kiss behind his ear. "Good morning, Jasper. What has you in such a good mood?"

The vampire chuckled and lay beside Harry, pulling the shorter man close to his body for a cuddle. "I fed last night and it's left me feeling a bit giddy."

The wizard felt the stirrings of arousal as he did every time he thought about Jasper's fangs buried into the neck of a human. In response to the sudden spike of lust in the air, Jasper smirked and pulled him into a kiss. Harry pulled away for a moment to magically freshen his breath before submitting to the passionate embrace. Just as he opened his mouth to welcome his mate's tongue, the tapping of a beak on glass startled them both.

The brunette sighed in aggravation when he noticed Ron Weasley's annoyingly chipper little owl named Pig struggling with a letter. As soon as Jasper opened the window the little bird shot inside. Harry stretched and put on his glasses before giving the little animal his attention. Once he noticed the vivid red envelope pulsing with angry magic, the wizard growled in anger.

"That bitch sent me a howler!"

Jasper had come closer once he felt the negative emotions coming from his mate. "What's a howler?"

Harry snorted. "Cover your ears and you'll see."

The vampire warily placed his hands over his ears. Though he was expecting something noisy, he still fell to his knees in pain when a loud obnoxious voice filled up the room. If they'd had neighbors close by, the police would no doubt have been called over this! Harry, upon seeing his love's plight, immediately rushed over and wrapped his own arms around Jasper's head to further muffle the amplified screaming.

"**HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!**" The loud voice caused Pig to let out his own screech before flying out of the house at full speed.

"**YOUR PARENTS WOULD BE SO ASHAMED OF THE WAY YOU'RE BEHAVING, YOUNG MAN… HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO CAST US OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND INTO THAT MERLIN FORSAKEN RUBBISH PIT, BREAKING POOR RONALD'S ARM IN THE PROCESS, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SEND US A BILL FOR THINGS GONE MISSING… ACCUSING US OF STEALING, ARE YOU?! WELL YOU CAN TAKE THAT BILL AND SHOVE IT, HARRY POTTER!**

"**TO THINK OF ALL THE YEARS WE HAVE WELCOMED YOU INTO OUR FAMILY AND TREATED YOU LIKE ONE OF OUR OWN! YOU HAVE BROUGHT SHAME ON YOUR POOR FAMILY AND ALL WHO HAVE OPENED THEIR HEARTS TO YOU SINCE THEIR DEATHS! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY BECAUSE, UNTIL YOU APOLOGIZE FOR THIS DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOR, YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT EVER COMING BACK INTO THIS HOUSE!**"

As soon as the parchment disintegrated from the spent magic the two beings hesitantly uncovered their ears. Both were incredibly angry… Jasper because this bitch was screaming at his mate and Harry because Molly had actually caused pain to the vampire's sensitive ears.

"Are you okay," Harry asked the blonde in his arms.

Jasper sighed and shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Yeah, though my ears will probably be ringing for a while. You?"

Harry scowled at the pile of dust on the floor… all that remained from the offensive message. "Oh I'm perfect, but **she** won't be once I send my reply!"

* * *

After the howler from Molly the previous romantic mood was well and truly shattered. Harry began getting ready to face the day while Jasper went out to run a few errands. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, the wizard entered the large room he and Jasper had set up to be the library. There he scanned the shelves for a book that would give him a good idea for revenge. Seeing the blonde hit the floor with his face contorted in pain made him more furious than anything ever had before and he wasn't going to rest until he found the perfect way to pay the harpy back.

He had just found a delightfully devious curse when the love of his life came into the room with a plastic shopping bag in his hand. Harry smiled and greeted Jasper with a kiss. "How did your errands go?"

"Pretty good, darlin'… I added you onto my cellphone account." He pulled out a brand new iPhone and handed it to the other.

Harry's eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful piece of technology. He wasn't used to receiving presents, especially ones that came for no real reason. "Wow, Jasper… thank you! I love it!"

The blonde chuckled and kissed the side of his head. "You're very welcome. It has a manual that tells you what you need to know to set everything how you want it but I can help you if there's something you don't understand." Jasper removed the phone from its protective packaging and pulled up the contact list to show the human. "I took the liberty of adding mine and the rest of the family's names and numbers for you. I'm sure Alice will force you to get the hang of texting soon."

The brunette laughed, knowing how many times a day Jasper's phone chirped with a new incoming message from his ex. Harry would have expected to feel some form of jealousy simply because Alice had once had an intimate relationship with the blonde for many years, but it wasn't the case. Listening to his mate talk about his family members made Harry feel as if they were his own. He knew in his heart that Jasper loved Alice and always would and he was okay with that.

While Harry was playing with his new phone Jasper curiously glanced at the open book laying on the desk. "Wow… remind me to never make you mad, Harry," he said with a grin.

Harry just grinned wickedly in response.

* * *

Molly Weasley was at home knitting in the sitting room. Arthur was at Hogwarts begging Albus to help him increase the security of their home now that they no longer had the fidelius charm at Grimmauld Place to hide behind. The poor family didn't have enough gold to pay a ward master to set up the complex charm on their own household so they were hoping the wise headmaster would come to their aid. She grew more nervous every day that passed without adequate warding, especially since the Weasleys were high on Lord Voldemort's hit list.

She set aside her needles and yarn when an unfamiliar owl swooped into the room and offered its leg to the redhead. Molly removed the envelope and the bird left, obviously not needing a response. She was fully expecting the letter to be an apology from Harry, but was disappointed to find it was simply an advertisement from Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions, offering a discount on their entire line of wrinkle cream. The witch scoffed as she crumpled the flyer up and tossed it in the bin, never noticing the brief flash of blue that moved from the parchment onto her hand as she did so. The shop in Diagon Alley was filled with overpriced and equally overrated potions that catered to ditsy young witches who had too much gold and not an ounce of sense.

Molly was startled when she felt something crawling up her arm and immediately slapped the area. She was confused when her hand encountered nothing. She was intently checking the area to make sure the bug hadn't fallen onto the chair when the same sensation could be felt on the back of her neck. Molly shrieked and smacked her hand there but again felt nothing. The plump woman was feeling paranoid and jumped out of the chair and brushed her hands over her entire body. She had just begun to calm down when she felt something crawling up her leg.

She screamed and ran upstairs to jump in the shower. Not many people knew this, but she was just as terrified of spiders as Ronald. When Molly was a little girl a giant house spider had fallen down her blouse at her brothers' birthday party. Fabian and Gideon had laughed as their sister humiliated herself in front of all the party guests by shedding her clothes on her way inside the house. Even though she mourned the loss of her twin brothers she had never forgiven them for that.

The witch quickly undressed and jumped beneath the spray of water, frantically scrubbing every inch of her body to rid it of the phantom insects. Molly frowned when she realized that not a single bug had fallen from her during the frenzy. She had just sighed in irritation when she felt it again… crawling up her spine. The redhead shrieked and jumped once more. Unfortunately for her, Molly's foot slipped on the slick tile and she went down in a tangle of limbs.

Arthur found her three hours later, sobbing in the corner of their room and randomly slapping at imaginary insects.

* * *

"So… how long will the curse last," Jasper asked as he watched his mate have fun playing with his new phone. He was amazed by how quickly Harry had learned how to work the gadget and silently vowed to get him more toys to play with. He wondered how Harry would like having a laptop computer or maybe a gaming system. He smiled, immediately thinking of his brother Emmett. Jasper kind of missed having the sound of Emmett's video games or Edward's piano playing in the background. Even Alice's mate Everett's model trains had become somewhat comforting to him in the short time he had come to know him as a brother.

Perhaps it was about time to take Harry to visit his new family and maybe stay a week or two.

Unaware of Jasper's inner musings, the wizard looked up with a smile. "It will last until someone invents a counter curse." They both shared a laugh before the vampire went back to his book and Harry to his phone.

There was silence for around ten minutes before Jasper felt hesitation come from Harry. He immediately looked up from the pages of his beloved history text. "What is it, darlin'?"

"I was wondering if I could go with you the next time you leave to hunt." The brunette immediately looked back down at the iPhone as he was overcome with nervous feelings.

Jasper set his book aside and gently lifted his mate's chin, but the green eyes still refused to meet his. "Harry, look at me." Once he was sure he had the young man's attention he placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "You don't ever have to be scared to ask me anything, okay? I know your feelings already, Harry, and there isn't a thing about you I would change… except maybe give you a bit more confidence." He grinned as relief swept through his mate. "And yes, you are more than welcome to watch me feed."

Harry's response was a huge grin.

* * *

That evening Harry had asked Jasper to drive him back over to the Dursley's house. When he was younger he had accidently come across a trunk in the attic with his mother's name etched on the lid and he would be damned if it ended up in the hands of Vernon's sister if the police ever found the bodies of his deceased relatives. Once Jasper pulled into the drive they both noticed the presence of a car that hadn't been there previously. Harry was curious about the car's owner until his saw the "I heart Bulldogs" sticker on the bumper. Suddenly he grinned and quickly informed Jasper of exactly who was inside.

As soon as he threw open the door, Harry called out, "I'm home, beloved family!"

Jasper chuckled and shut the door while his mate cast a strong silencing charm. The house shook as a very angry Marjorie Dursley stomped out of the living room.

"Boy! Where have you been, and where is my brother?!" She drew herself up short when noticing a very menacing looking stranger there with the spawn her brother had graciously taken in.

Harry allowed his face to take on a look of confusion. "Whatever do you mean, Aunt Marge? I've been staying with my boyfriend, Jasper, for a few days. I didn't know you were supposed to be coming… where's sweet little Ripper?"

Marge's face grew even redder at the mention of Jasper's relationship to her hated nephew. "You disgusting poof! I knew it!" She headed for the kitchen where she no-doubt had a bottle of alcohol stashed away. "I told Vernon you were trash from the first moment I laid eyes on your runty little body."

Harry regained his smile during the familiar tirade and followed the bitch down the hall with his mate close behind.

"I got a call this morning, whelp, from my brother's work! You know why they called me," she asked after pouring herself a glass of what smelled like whiskey.

The wizard plopped himself down into one of the wooden dining chairs and shook his head. "Not a clue, Aunt Marge."

The woman belched and glared at the boy for his cheek before continuing. "They called me because Vernon didn't show up for work on Monday or Tuesday. He never even called Grunnings to tell them he wouldn't be in. I know Vernon and he's never once shirked his duties so I immediately made my way here, and what do I find?"

"No idea," Harry answered, still grinning like a loon.

Marge slapped a beefy hand down on the table, causing her drink to slosh over the sides. "I find you gone and my family gone! Now I read the note Petunia left and nowhere on it does it give you permission to leave this house! You should have been here to alert the police when my brother didn't come back from his trip!"

Harry chuckled darkly. "Now why would I do that? Especially since I went to all the trouble to carve his fat body up like a pork roast!"

Blue eyes widened in horror as the glass of alcohol slipped from the woman's pudgy fingers and crashed to the floor. She had just opened her mouth to scream when Harry pulled out his wand and stupefied the bitch. Jasper raised an eyebrow and looked at his mate in question.

"For as long as I can remember I've had to listen to this woman tell me how worthless I was, how she would have drowned me if I'd been placed on her stoop, and how impossible it would be for me to ever make anything of myself. She's never raised a hand to me herself, but it was her urgings that caused Vernon and Petunia to start."

Jasper pulled Harry in close and kissed him. "Let's tie her up and make the bitch scream, darlin'."

The wizard beamed at the blonde and tied the woman up with magical ropes before waking her. Thankfully his silencing spell was still up because terrified shrieks were echoing through the house. Harry immediately backhanded the woman as hard as he could, stunning her into silence. "Shut up, you drunken waste of space!"

Harry waved his wand when Marge opened her mouth to spout more nonsense. She jumped and cried as painful boils erupted on her pasty skin. The wizard shook his head. If she was acting this way over a simple furnunculus then she was even more pathetic than he had previously thought.

"Devil boy," the sobbing woman exclaimed with a hate-filled glare. "What demons have you been cavorting with, freak?!"

The wizard cast the infamous cruciatus curse, half expecting it wouldn't work. He wasn't prepared for a feeling of pure bliss to boil up from his toes and spread through his body as the muggle screeched in agony before him. Sweet Merlin, no wonder this was Voldemort's favorite curse… he half expected to orgasm from the sensation!

He reluctantly ended the curse and shivered as the wonderful feelings left him, only to cast it twice more in succession. By this time Marge was babbling disjointedly with blood trickling down from her mouth where she'd probably bitten her tongue. Figuring her brain was fried by this time, Harry smiled and decided to end her life by casting the very same curse that had ripped his family apart.

"Avada Kedavra," he growled out and felt another rush as the green light of the deadliest spell in existence left his wand. For the first time in her life, Marjorie Eileen Dursley was silent.

Jasper chuckled once the woman's heartbeat was forever stilled. "I was expecting more blood and guts."

Harry shook his head with a grin. "I'm new to physical torture, love. Give me time to get better."

The blonde vampire laughed and kissed his mate. "How's eternity sound, darlin'?"

The emerald-eyed wizard brushed a strand of blonde hair out of his vampire's eyes. "As long as it's with you, eternity sounds perfect."

* * *

Thanks again to all the fabulous reviewers! You all make this super fun :)


	9. New Developments

**Chapter Notes:** It may be a week or so before I'm able to update my stories again as we have family coming to visit. I'm letting you know so you don't worry that I'm abandoning you and start to come after me with knives and pitchforks. I'm looking at you, misteeirene.

**Chapter 9 – New Developments**

After glaring at the dead body of his hated aunt once more, Harry quickly kissed Jasper's lips and headed for the attic. At first he wondered why Petunia would want to save anything belonging to the sister she loathed, but when his fingers brushed along the scarred wood of the trunk he understood. The chest was sealed with magic and the greedy woman had probably convinced herself that a treasure lay within. Well Harry was convinced of it as well, but one of a different sort. Not wanting to delve into his mother's past in this house of nightmares, the wizard shrunk it and placed it in his pocket.

Once he had reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry saw Jasper preparing to move the corpse. Suddenly struck with an idea, he told the blonde to leave it where it was. "I've got this… you go get the motorcycle ready and I'll take care of everything… we'll have to leave quickly."

Jasper eyed his mate warily as if calculating whether or not whatever Harry had planned would be dangerous before nodding. He trusted that his mate knew what he was doing.

As soon as Harry heard the rev of the bike's engine, he directed a fiendfyre into the cupboard where he'd spent his youth and ran outside. Turning toward the Dursley's house for the final time, Harry cast a morsmordre into the sky above the burning building. He then jumped onto the motorcycle behind his love and put on his helmet before wrapping his arms around the hard body of his mate. They were gone before the screams of the neighbors began.

* * *

Once he stumbled into their house, Harry began shaking uncontrollably. Jasper, worried beyond belief, had his mate in his arms and carried him to the sofa. "What is it, Harry? Why are you trembling?!"

Harry smiled at him, trying to put the vampire at ease. "Nothing's wrong… I just feel free." Sparkling green eyes met red and he laughed. "For the first time in my life I truly feel free from the Dursleys. Even after we killed them, a part of me was terrified that I'd still somehow end up a prisoner in that house once more, but now it's truly impossible. That house no longer even exists." He giggled a little madly before placing his arms around Jasper's neck.

Jasper smiled in relief and hugged his beloved closer. "That's right darlin', none of them will ever be able to cage you again." He kissed the unruly hair. "And I'll kill anyone else who tries. What did you cast?"

"I used fiendfyre on the house. It conjures a very powerful sentient fire that destroys everything it touches… even things meant to be inflammable. If the Magic Reversal Squad doesn't show up fast enough to put it out I may have just completely destroyed Privet Drive, at the very least, as well as all the people who lived there." It showed how much Harry had changed that he was completely unconcerned with the loss of innocent life he may have caused tonight in his bid to erase Number Four Privet Drive for good.

The vampire nodded. "Once again… remind me to never piss you off," he said with a chuckle. "What about the second one… morsmordre?"

"Oh! That's Voldemort's calling card. He or his followers cast it into the air after they cause destruction to let the magical world know they've been there." He smiled and tilted his head up for a kiss, which Jasper happily provided. "I just decided to throw Dumbledore off the trail lest he come after me before I'm ready for him."

"You are devious," Jasper said before mouthing Harry's neck. Any response Harry was about to give was cut off when the vampire's nimble tongue ran up the shell of the wizard's ear.

Harry released a moan that had Jasper's cock go harder than it had ever been before. Soon the boys were both naked from the waist up and were intently exploring each other's hard chests with their mouths and hands. Jasper had just reached for the button of Harry's jeans when the wizard emitted a yelp of pain.

The vampire immediately pulled away. "What? What's wrong, darlin'?"

The brunette was reaching for his own back, causing Jasper to quickly turn his mate around to see what was bothering him. His superior vision picked up nothing other than the pale skin of the human's back, marred only by thin silver scars left from his deceased uncle's accursed belt. There was nothing new there that he could see.

"My back… it's started aching really badly." The pain must have been excruciating for Harry to vocalize it. Jasper had him lay face down on the couch while he gently ran his fingers along the wizard's back. As soon as he pressed close to the shoulder blades Harry nearly came unglued. "Ow, fuck, ow, ow, son of a bitch… it feels like there's something under the skin!"

Jasper cursed under his breath. "Okay… you've still got those painkillers from Carlisle. Hang on while I grab them. After that I'll give him a call and see what he thinks." He briefly kissed the side of Harry's head before running to get the bottle of Vicodin from their bathroom medicine cabinet.

A sudden ping from his cellphone had the vampire looking at it before he could dial his father's number. The new text message from Alice had him rubbing his eyes and looking at it again, convinced that he had read it wrong. He was brought out of his astonishment by his mate once again releasing a litany of curses, growing more creative as they waited for the medicine to kick in. Jasper didn't think a human as old as Dumbledore would be limber enough to do **that** with a donkey.

"Alice got a vision and knows what the problem is, darlin'." Jasper ran his hand through the sweaty hair of his writhing mate.

"And?" Harry was panting as he tried to focus on the vampire.

The blonde sighed, unable to think of a way to break news of this magnitude gently. "And it seems you're growing a set of wings."

"I'm **what**?!"

* * *

"Albus! Albus!" Dumbledore stumbled into his office from his private rooms upon hearing the frantic screeching of Arabella Figg coming from his floo. In his haste to get to her he had thrown his dressing gown on inside out and forwent his slippers altogether.

"I'm here, Arabella. Whatever has happened to put you in such a state?" The old man wearily got down on his knees to better see the frantic squib.

"Oh my word, Albus. I never would have believed it had I not seen them with my own eyes! I heard them pull up and kept an eye out because it's the first time anything's happened in a week!" Figg was constantly looking behind her as if expecting Voldemort himself to crash into her home.

The wizard shook his head in growing agitation. He swore to himself that if she was flipping out over something stupid again he was going to strangle her. The last time the squib had called him in such a state was because there was a new postal carrier for their neighborhood who looked shady to her eyes. "Take a deep breath and calm yourself, my dear. I'm afraid you're not making much sense."

"Albus it was Harry," she screamed, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to reach through the fire and shake him until his head popped off.

Dumbledore hid his sudden amusement. Obviously Vernon's abuse had risen to new levels if the half-blind squib had seen the evidence of it. He quickly schooled his face to show concern. "Now Arabella. It's the middle of the night. I'm sure whatever the boy has gotten himself into can keep until morning."

Mrs. Figg had just opened her mouth to, no doubt, refute that statement very loudly when a crashing, followed by a roaring sound caused her to spin around in fright. The last thing Albus heard from her was an unearthly scream before the connection was suddenly cut off. Albus was no longer certain that the squib's floo call was in regards to an abused boy.

He frantically stood and hurried to dress himself before making his way to Privet Drive.

The headmaster had just apparated near the home of Harry Potter, fully prepared to battle death eaters for the life of his little weapon and nearly dropped his wand in shock at what he found. Magic Reversal Squads were the only other people he saw as he stood amidst a fire blackened plot of land. The place where the Dursley's residence once stood was now devoid of everything… even the rubble had been burned away by what appeared to be a fiendfyre.

And that wasn't the only house wiped from existence.

Most of Privet Drive had also vanished, along with a good portion of Magnolia Crescent. It seems Arabella Figg's house was the last one to be destroyed before the Magic Reversal Squads were able to stop the cursed fire. The only thing marking the area where Vernon and Petunia's normal little house had once been was the ghastly dark mark still floating in the air.

Albus knew in his heart that Harry Potter had either been kidnapped by Death Eaters, or he was no longer among the living.

* * *

After enduring a few hours of aching from, if what Alice said is to be believed, a new set of wings forming, the pain finally began to taper off. Jasper had sat with him through the worst of it and was still beside him, rubbing his lower back. Harry sighed and moved to sit up with his mate's help. He rubbed his face and peeked up at the blonde. "Wings, huh? You sure it wasn't a typo or something?"

Jasper sent him a look of sympathy. "Vampires don't do typos, Harry. You must be coming into a creature inheritance."

The brunette looked gave his mate a baleful look. "A creature inheritance?! What's that?"

"It's nothing bad, darlin'! Every once in a while a magical couple gives birth to offspring who is of the same race of a creature from one of his parents' ancestry."

"But I was born a human!" Harry seemed to think that yelling at the one he loved most in the world may change the information he was receiving into something more bearable.

Sending out calming waves, Jasper nodded. "I know, Harry, but some creature inheritances show up at birth while others don't manifest until sometime during or after puberty. I think your sudden sexual awakening may have triggered your change."

"So I'm going to really become some kind of monster!" He knew his words had insulted Jasper and immediately felt guilty. "I didn't mean to imply you were a monster," he implored while grabbing the blonde's hand. "You're beautiful… and I'm certainly not." He bowed his head. "Oh Merlin, please don't let me turn into a troll!"

Jasper, mollified once he paid more attention to Harry's chaotic emotions, ran his fingers through the wild locks and chuckled. "Well I've never heard of a troll with wings, so you're safe there." He lifted the distraught soon-to-be non-human's chin and placed a chaste kiss on the soft lips. "And you're more beautiful than words could ever express to me, Harry. I can promise you that there isn't a creature you could turn into that will change that."

Harry sighed and moved into his mate's loving arms. "You really should be working for greeting card companies."

The vampire chuckled. "Don't worry, love. Tomorrow you and I will make another trip to Diagon Alley. Since the Gringotts' goblins handle the monetary side of family inheritances, they may be able to at least point us in the right direction of discovering what you're becoming. Then we'll hit the bookstores."

"I hope the goblins know because my only other options are St. Mungo's Hospital and the Ministry of Magic… and I **really** don't want to visit either of those." A white blur swooping into the room halted his train of thought. "Hedwig! I knew you'd find me here!"

Jasper chuckled as the snowy owl began checking over her master as if looking for damages. After a few moments of bonding time she settled on her wizard's shoulder and began preening his hair while he scratched her on the chest just like she preferred.

Harry's phone chirped and he eagerly checked it, still in awe of the magic of muggle technology. It was Alice texting him to wear one of Jasper's hoodies and sunglasses tomorrow because it seemed the entire wizarding world would be on the lookout for him. "Huh…."

"What is it?" Jasper looked up from the crossword puzzle he'd been working on.

"According to Alice the wizarding world is looking for me and I'd best go in disguise tomorrow." The green-eyed boy looked up from his phone with a smirk. "I wonder if they think I've been kidnapped by Voldemort or just killed in the fire."

Jasper shrugged. "Well… until you show yourself there's really no way for them to know. But you do need to send a message to Neville and Luna. It would be cruel to let them think for a moment that you might be dead."

Aghast that he didn't consider that himself, Harry nodded and left to pen two notes.

Once he was done, Harry hastily sent Hedwig on her way before moving his attention to his mother's trunk. He cast every unlocking charm that he could think of but the damned trunk refused to open. His agitation caught the attention of the vampire. It seemed that Jasper couldn't resist a puzzle and began to study the chest intently. Once catching sight of something on the wood, the blonde leaned in and sniffed whatever he'd found. Red eyes widened in understanding. "Blood… place a drop of your blood on the lock and see what happens."

Harry eyed him in shock before following the order. With a click and a groan the trunk unlocked itself and the lid was raised. Even though Harry had half expected the trunk to contain nothing more than Lily's old school things, he was slightly disappointed to be proven right. Touching the same textbooks she had studied from and seeing her handwriting on ancient essays filled him with joy, but a part of him was still wishing to see an old journal inside, or maybe even a picture album.

Oh well… he still had hopes to find a link to his parents in the Potter family vault tomorrow. Harry smiled wistfully as he brought one of her old school robes up to his nose and inhaled deeply.

* * *

Mandi grumbled as she made her way to her rental car. She had flown all the way over to London from the U.S. because the moron who directed the Zoological Society of London had all but promised her a position on his staff with excellent pay and fantastic benefits. She had grown weary of her old life and desired a fresh start as far away from the artificial people she knew back home. Unfortunately she had just discovered that her fresh start was going to be delayed because the horny director had just given her position away to a ditzy blonde whose IQ could not possibly be in the double digits. It seems lust opened up just as many doors as money these days.

She sighed and pulled her coat closer to her body as the wind picked up. The beautiful brunette supposed it could be worse… she now had the rest of the week free to play tourist and take in everything the beautiful city of London had to offer. She smirked as she ducked down the dark alley. The entire disappointment had almost been worth it when Mandi told the director that between his tiny dick and the blonde's tiny brain, they should make a happy couple.

As icing on the proverbial cake, the slimy director's door had been wide open and the office staff were trying to hold in their laughter at her tirade as she stormed out.

Mandi came up short when she noticed a cute blonde guy leaning up against the wall of the alley in a casual manner. Feeling a little nervous, she gave him a hesitant smile and put her head down before moving to pass him.

"Hello there… nice night."

She should have ignored him but, after hearing nothing but British accents since stepping off of the plane, the deep south American twang had her wanting to latch onto him for some reason. She found herself blushing after looking at the other man a bit closer. He was super hot! Realizing she was gaping at him like that ditzy blonde she'd just been bitching about in her head, Mandi cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah it's beautiful. It's my first trip to London and I just lost out on the job of the century but, other than that, I can't complain."

The stranger chuckled and pushed himself off of the wall. "Well in that case I have some good news for you."

Mandi smiled, thinking she was about to be asked on a date. She knew that this was probably the dumbest idea she'd ever had and her mother would kill her herself if she ever found out about this, but she had just wasted a great deal of money and time and she wanted **something** to show for it. "And what good news do you have for me?"

The blonde matched her smile, causing his dimples to show up once more. "You'll never have to work again."

She had just enough time to gasp in confusion and fright when cold lips were pressed against her neck. Mandi opened her mouth to scream seconds before she felt the agonizing slide of fangs piercing her flesh. Something happened though… her voice was silenced! She could feel herself screaming but some kind of paranormal force was keeping the sounds from escaping!

Her last thoughts were why couldn't this have happened to the stupid zoo director?

* * *

Harry moaned with lust as Jasper finished with his meal. As soon as the girl's body hit the pavement at their feet, Harry hit his knees in front of the vampire. He didn't even have enough time to react before Harry had the blonde's pants opened and his cock out.

Jasper's own moan echoed off of the alley walls, making him glad that his lover had taken the time to put up silencing spells. Though the amount of people traveling through this part of the city had thinned out considerably once the sun had gone down, there were still humans within shouting distance. Long fingers tangled in Harry's raven hair as the eager lips tasted his member for the first time.

The wizard had his own pants open and was fisting himself to completion as his sinful tongue drove Jasper to new heights of lust. "Oh god, Harry… so good, Darlin'."

When the vampire felt himself on the verge of cumming he tried to warn his mate, but Harry wasn't having it. Instead of pulling away, the brunette bobbed his head faster and sucked harder on the stiff flesh. His own hand quickened its pace and soon Jasper's fingers had tightened considerably in the wizard's hair as he screamed out his release. To his shock and awe, Harry swallowed every drop as he moaned when his own orgasm consumed him.

Looking between the dead brunette and the cum-stained lips of his gorgeous mate, all Jasper could think was, "What a night!" He couldn't wait until he needed to feed again!

* * *

Thanks, as always, for the fabulous reviews and for reading my story!


	10. The Potter Family Vault

**Author Note:** If anyone is wondering where my new Jasper/Edward/Harry story "Raindrops on Roses" went, someone reported it for violating this site's rating guidelines and the admins pulled it. I archived it at AO3… you will find the link to my stories there on my profile page. I'm half expecting Fire and Ice to get pulled as well, and I may end up moving everything over there if it does.

**Also:** I'm changing canon in regards to Lucius Malfoy losing favor with Voldemort. In this story he wasn't arrested at the Department of Mysteries and is still one of the Dark Lord's most trusted followers.

**Chapter 10 – The Potter Family Vault**

"Are you okay," Jasper asked his green-eyed mate when he shifted for the third time. At first he assumed Harry was just hot, seeing as he was currently wearing one of the vampire's long-sleeved hoodies in the middle of summer as they walked down Diagon Alley toward the wizarding bank. A minute later it hit him that Harry had likely cast a cooling charm after donning the fleece top.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine, Jas… my bones are just aching from the transformation." He groaned in delight when cool hands began to gently massage his shoulders. "It's weird how everything hurts one moment, then after a while the pain goes away almost completely."

The vampire chuckled. "I know, Darlin', but everything takes time. Changing into a vampire is three days of constant agony, so at least your creature is giving you a reprieve every once in a while."

Jasper opened the door to Gringotts for his mate and they both put their game faces on before demanding another meeting with Axepick immediately.

Once seated in front of the familiar goblin, Harry quickly explained about the changes moving through his body and asked whether or not Gringotts could help him discover exactly what he was becoming.

Axepick nodded his grizzled head before touching a glowing orb on the corner of his desk. He spoke a few words of Gobbledygook. Less than a minute later another Gringotts employee came bustling through the door with a stone basin in his hands. The newcomer set the rune-covered bowl down on the desk before bowing to Axepick and hurrying out the door once more.

"This, gentlemen, is what goblins use to determine creature inheritances in wizards." He stood up and ran his spindly fingers along the lip of the magical item. "It will cost you one hundred galleons, but will tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt exactly which creature you will be."

Harry shared a glance with his mate before nodding. "I accept the cost. What do I need to do?"

A mouth full of wickedly sharp teeth was revealed as Axepick smiled at his client. "It will take blood, Mr. Potter. A lot of blood."

The wizard blinked in shock while his mate instinctively released a low growl. He eventually nodded and accepted the wicked-looking blade handed to him and sliced his left wrist open. Harry leaned over to peck Jasper on the cheek, noticing that this was affecting the vampire greatly. It couldn't be an easy thing… to watch as a loved one sliced open a vein.

Finally, just as Harry was beginning to feel dizzy, Axepick gestured that enough blood had been shed. The now pale wizard quickly healed his wrist and accepted the blood replenishing potion from the goblin. Jasper protectively wrapped his arms around him and tried not to release a distressed whine.

Axepick hovered over the stone basin, chanting undecipherable phrases. The blood soon began to ripple, as if some kind of seismic force were moving it, yet there was no vibrations present that Jasper could detect. The goblin reached into a cabinet behind him and pulled out a sealed vial of some kind of potion. The elixir was white… perhaps the brightest white either of them had ever seen. The only thing comparable to it was the coat of a unicorn, glowing under the light of the full moon.

Once the bottle was unsealed, Axepick dumped the entire contents into the blood. Jasper and Harry gasped as the mixture immediately turned the color of molten gold. The goblin waited a set amount of time before dipping out a bit of the beautiful liquid with a tiny ladle and pouring it onto a blank piece of parchment. As with the last test he had taken at the bank, the mixture was soaked into the paper and words began to form.

The goblin raised an eyebrow as he read the results before looking up at his client. "It appears you are in the midst of transforming into a dark veela, Mr. Potter.

* * *

As soon as Harry received his answer, he signed a slip of paper authorizing the removal of one hundred galleons from one of his vaults and asked to be taken to see the family vault. It was his hope that he would find something there which would help him get to know his parents, as well as explain why he was coming into this particular inheritance. Every piece of information he had found throughout the years was so superficial. He didn't care how good a quidditch player his father was, or that his mother was suited to charms. He longed to know other things about them… what kind of books did they like? What were their best and worst childhood memories?

He wanted to be privy to the things he would have learned while growing up with them.

The random goblin driving the cart opened the giant vault for the two of them. When Harry asked if he could have some time to look around, the small creature nodded and handed him a small flat disk. "When you are ready to leave, press your thumb into the center and say 'cart'. I will be back to pick you up shortly thereafter. I must warn you, however, that as soon as I depart there will be security measures activating that will prevent you from exiting the vault until my return."

Harry nodded and had to bite his tongue to keep from thanking the goblin. He had almost forgotten that was one of the things they hated about wizards. Instead he turned on his heel and entered the chasm containing his family's heirlooms.

Jasper chuckled as the cart zoomed away. "That was close… good save."

The wizard smiled and was about to answer when he turned the corner and caught sight of the treasures housed within. He had known there would be no gold inside this vault, as the goblin had made it quite clear that this one was strictly for holding household items and documents. Harry still wasn't prepared for this virtual sea of valuables, though.

It would take him a hundred years to sort through all of this!

Harry sighed and began sifting through the closest pile while Jasper wandered over to the book shelves on the other side of the vault. He moved what appeared to be an antique table to the side with magic and saw something that made his heart flutter. There was an open trunk which appeared to be filled with various journals. After picking up a green leather bound diary, which wasn't nearly as old as the others, the wizard actually felt the hot sting of tears when he saw his mother's full name embossed on the front in gold.

A gentle hand resting on his shoulder startled him. He smiled up at Jasper and answered the silent question. "I'm okay, love. I had been hoping my mum and dad had left a journal, but I really wasn't expecting to find anything." The vampire smiled and lowered his head for a kiss, which Harry happily provided.

"Okay. I'll let you get back to your search, but check this out first. Do you think this might be the invisibility cloak Dumbledore stole from your vault?" Jasper held out an item that was unmistakably magical in origin.

The wizard reached out a hand in awe to touch the fabric, which looked as if it were crafted out of the purest silver in existence. The invisibility cloak Dumbledore had given him was remarkable in appearance, but this was utterly breath-taking… like comparing a paint-by-numbers kit to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel! The cloak shone with magic, and contained so much power that Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as if he had just been exposed to static electricity. The texture was like nothing he'd ever felt. It was cool and fluid, as if his fingers were trailing through water.

"It could be. This is definitely something special, in any case. Let me see it for a moment." Harry shook out the cloak before pulling it over himself. What happened next shocked both himself and Jasper.

Jasper gasped in sudden fear before reaching out to try to touch his mate. Harry's eyes widened when the vampire's questing hand passed right through him as if he had suddenly transformed into a ghost! The experience was more than a little disturbing. As soon as his mate began to frantically call his name, the wizard removed the cloak. The blonde immediately melted in relief.

"You scared the shit out of me, Harry. Not only did you go invisible, but I could no longer smell you or hear your heartbeat!" Jasper ran a trembling hand through his wavy hair. "I thought it had either transported you somewhere else or consumed you completely."

Eyes wide in amazement, Harry glanced from the cloak in his hands back to his lover. "When you reached out to me, your hand went right through my body as if I weren't standing here! This is so wicked… nothing at all like the other cloak." Harry would later find out that no being or magical artifact had an ice cube's chance in hell of tracking him whilst wearing this garment. Even the Marauder's Map wouldn't be able to locate whomever had it on.

Once they had calmed down a bit from that brief scare, Harry and Jasper returned to their explorations. They both began filling a trunk with things that had caught their interest, mostly books and documents. As the wizard began to grow tired and increasingly sore from the transformation assaulting his body, they decided to call it a day and leave the bank. With both trunks shrunken in Harry's pocket, the brunette took a moment in the lobby to both add Jasper's name to his accounts and to inquire as to whether the goblins had a way for him to easily spend his money in the muggle world without having to continuously visit Diagon Alley to convert it.

Thankfully Gringotts did have a solution. They issued him what appeared to be a muggle credit card, which he could use in all stores that accepted them. As soon as Harry or Jasper used it, the corresponding amount would be instantly withdrawn from his vault. Since the wizarding world was so resistant to change, he would still have to carry around coins with which to make purchases in the magical communities.

Harry's last order of business with the goblins was to withdraw a pouch of gold so he could purchase some books on dark veela and creature inheritances which would be useful in the days to come. He wanted to know exactly what he should expect once the transformation was complete.

* * *

Jasper sat on the bed beside his mate, staring worriedly as his love moaned in pain. The vampire felt utterly helpless, especially since the Vicodin could only help so much to alleviate Harry's agony on his bad days. They had returned from their trip to the magical world three days ago and so far the wizard had been in too much pain to concentrate on reading anything he'd retrieved. His mother's coveted journal still sat on the table beside the bed from where he had last tried.

The vampire had already finished reading through the new books they'd bought on dark veela and magical inheritances, hoping there was something out there to help Harry through this change. Unfortunately there seemed to be no magical answer… no potion to numb the agony. As a matter of fact, according to the information found in "Your Creature and You: Surviving the Change" they were extremely lucky that the muggle medication was taking the edge off of Harry's pain.

He did discover that once Harry's wings broke through the skin the rest of the changes should finish no later than seven days after. Jasper sighed and gently stroked his mate's sweaty hair. Of all the visible changes, the wizard's hair was currently the most obvious. Though still unruly and dark as pitch, Harry's hair had grown long enough to lightly dust his shoulders and now had dark purple highlights that probably wouldn't be as noticeable to those without perfect vision.

Speaking of vision, his wizard was certain his had improved greatly. Harry said that he could see almost better without his glasses than he could with them. Needless to say, Harry still couldn't see very well, but they were hoping his sight would continue to improve. As it was, his brand new pair of specs weren't doing him much good and there was no point in getting him another until the changes stopped happening. Jasper had found no record in the books about changes in sight, but the proof was writhing in pain right in front of him.

Jasper couldn't wait to see the finished product. Not only because it would mean Harry's trial would be at an end, but also because, from the descriptions of dark veela, his mate would be spectacular to behold. Unlike regular veela, who were almost always female with blonde hair and blue eyes, dark veela were neither light in coloring nor temperament. Even if the two of them hadn't found each other, once Harry had transformed there would be no question that he was a dark creature.

It explained so much.

Harry's growing frustrations with his life as he aged as well as how he developed a bloodlust almost overnight after meeting Jasper in the forest. His inheritance had most likely been triggered by his body's desire for his mate. Of course it was also apparent in the sudden disgust he felt for most of the people who claimed to be on the side of the Light. There was a natural distrust between the two factions, almost as strong as the animosity between the lycanthropes and vampires. It was a minor miracle that Harry had found a true friend in Neville Longbottom because his family had been fighting against darkness for centuries… but then again, so had the Potters.

He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone began ringing. Jasper quickly answered it, unworried about being quiet since he knew Harry wasn't asleep. "Hello."

"Hey Jasper… how's Harry?" Alice sounded just as chipper as always, causing the blonde to release a fond smile.

"He's struggling right now, but I'm hoping the pain will take a hike soon… he's due a reprieve, I think." Pained red eyes locked onto Harry's form as he released a sob into the pillow below his face.

"Aw I'm sorry he's hurting. Let him know that we're all sending feel good vibes his way!"

Jasper chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be happy to know that. So what's new with you guys? How's Everett doing with his diet?"

"Well he slipped once, but it wasn't anything we had to pack up and move over. Rosalie was very hard to live with after it happened… you know how she is."

Indeed he did. Rosalie was the Cullen least receptive to change of any kind. She desperately hated to move and anything that caused them to have to leave before they were due was sure to rile her up. He was still amazed that she hadn't given him any grief over his own slip, but he imagined she wanted Bella Swan out of her life more than she had wanted to remain in Forks. There was also the fact that Jasper had been wallowing in guilt at the time. Rosalie was hard, but she wasn't heartless.

"Yeah. Let him know that it happens to the best of us… not that I have to worry about that anymore."

Alice's cheerful giggle warmed something inside. He was still amazed that renouncing the vegetarian way of life hadn't cost him the love of his family. He really missed seeing them.

"So listen, Jas… I'm looking into Harry's future and I'm seeing two weeks of mild to moderate pain come Tuesday. I think it would be the perfect time to bring your gorgeous mate over to meet the family."

Jasper blinked. "Um… you know he's probably not going to be in the mood to go shopping, right?"

Alice scoffed. "You just let me and Rosalie worry about things like that. All you need to do is get him here… well, I suppose you will also have to buy a car because he's going to be way too grumpy if you force him to ride the entire way on a motorcycle while his wings are trying to break free."

The blonde chuckled. "Yes, your highness. I'll ask him when he's feeling well enough to pay attention. If he agrees, I guess we'll see you on Tuesday."

"He'll agree," she answered in a sing-song voice before hanging up.

Jasper picked up the task of stroking Harry's hair once more before shaking his head. "Crazy… the lot of them!"

* * *

Severus Snape was snickering as he put his emergency potions kit back in its place. He had just been summoned by Albus to the home of the insufferable Weasleys to see if he could help that overbearing nag Molly. It appeared that someone had cursed her to suffer as phantom insects crawled across her skin. As an avid practitioner of the Dark Arts, Severus was well aware of which curse was used. He hated the "holier than thou" matron so much, however, that he pretended to be completely stumped as to what could have possibly happened to the woman.

It did his heart good to see the witch who was always screeching at him over one thing or another almost catatonic. Her red hair was in disarray and the only sound he heard from her the entire time he had "examined" her was frequent whimpers as she blindly slapped at her body. As icing on the cake, young Ronald seemed to be faring just as badly as not one person currently living in that ridiculous dwelling seemed to be able to throw a decent meal together. Severus had no doubts that, had the twins not left home, they would be able to cook for their family.

Of course the question was whether or not those living there would be desperate enough to taste their wares.

The wizard was pulled from his thoughts as his dark mark began to burn. He smiled as he hastily pulled his Death Eater robes from his closet and went to meet his master. Little did Albus know his spy wasn't as loyal to the Light as he pretended to be. One day he would be able to set the record straight as he stared into Dumbledore's horror-filled eyes, but until that moment came he would happily report to Lord Voldemort.

Once he stepped past the castle's wards Severus apparated to Little Hangleton.

The first thing he noticed was that this meeting was to be for the inner circle only. Lucius Malfoy reverently bowed before the Dark Lord before taking his place in the crowd. Severus followed suit, eager to hear of the progresses their side was making.

"My faithful brethren," Lord Voldemort stood tall and proud as he eyed the highest ranking members of his Death Eaters. "I have called you here today because it seems my arch rival, Harry Potter has gone missing from his home. The only clue left at the scene was my mark floating above where his house used to sit. In light of this information, does anyone have any news to give?"

Vibrant red eyes stared closely at the crowd, no doubt searching for any signs of deception. As insurance, Nagini slithered her way around the legs of inner circle members, rapidly tasting the air. After a minute the Dark Lord visibly relaxed.

"It is as I previously thought, then. Someone else has absconded with the Potter spawn and pinned the honor on us."

Lucius stepped forward and spoke when granted permission. "My Lord, could it be possible that your enemy has perished in the attack?"

"No, Lucius… trust me when I say that I would know if Harry Potter were no longer among the living." The snake-like wizard stared off into the distance. "He and I share a connection that tells me he still draws breath."

Many members shifted nervously, drawing their leader's eyes back to his minions. "You will all use every resource at your disposal to locate Harry Potter, discretely. If you find him, you will not touch him! Once I find out what has happened, then and only then will I decide what is to be done. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, my Lord," fell from everyone's lips before the Death Eaters disapparated.

* * *

Thanks again for reading and reviewing!


	11. Family

Chapter Notes: Not as much yummy darkness in this chapter. Next one, I promise!

**Chapter 11 – Family**

Harry smiled sinisterly as the non-descript owl began winging his way to his destination. It had taken a little time explaining and a lot of owl treats before Hedwig forgave him for using a different owl for this delivery. Even now she was glaring at him from her perch, but at least she wasn't still trying to rip him to pieces. He decided to use her to send more letters to Neville, Luna, and the twins in the near future. If not, it may not be safe to sleep anywhere in her vicinity, lest she attack while his guard was down.

True to Alice's vision, Harry's pain had disappeared almost completely by Tuesday morning. Jasper had gone out a few days before to purchase a car. Harry, who was new to the vampires' need to self-indulge, was expecting Jasper to come home with the keys to a used SUV or something similar. He certainly wasn't prepared to be led outside in front of a brand new lime green Lamborghini Huracán. It looked like a time machine… or perhaps some advanced species of bug.

As he listened to his mate rattle off all the exciting features of the car, Harry had decided that he would be buying one for himself once he learned how to drive.

One of the downsides of the vehicle was the limited space to put their luggage, but that wasn't a problem for a wizard who was handy with a space expansion charm. It was just as well because, from what Jasper had told him about his sisters, the brunette would be coming home with a lot more than what he was taking. He had already been warned by both his mate and Alice herself that he wouldn't be leaving the Cullen household without a new wardrobe, so he had mentally prepared himself to face a dreaded shopping trip.

Without further ado, Harry and Jasper took their places in the car and settled in for a nice drive. The wizard had brought his mother's journal with him, determined to read as much as he was able before they arrived in Scotland. Though the trip normally took a little over five hours, Jasper was sure to have them there much sooner.

Harry happily read the entries which started right after her fifteenth birthday. Apparently she had received the journal from her grandmother and happily wrote about her day to day life. The updates were sporadic… sometimes she went weeks without writing, but Harry cherished every nugget of information he found. None of the people who knew her had ever mentioned how much she loved to go fishing or that her favorite color was periwinkle. He found out that when his mother started back to school for her sixth year her hair had been cut short because her stupid sister had "accidentally" cut a huge chunk out when trying to snip the scratchy tag out of her new blouse. Lily was certain it was done out of spite.

There was one entry written the summer before Lily's final year at school that surprised the hell out of him.

_1976 July 8__th_

_I have just returned from Gringotts where I found out what I'm becoming. Everything started happening a few weeks ago and it has taken me that long to convince my parents that something was desperately wrong with me. They kept telling me it was only growing pains, but I knew it was something else. The burning that started at my upper back was excruciating, but thankfully not constant. I think the muscle and joint aches are what hurts the most… it feels as if my body is trying to grow several inches in a short span of time. And though that gives credence to my parents' "growing pains" theory, I knew in my heart it was something much worse._

_I've only ever read of people coming into magical creature inheritances, but somehow I knew that this was what was happening to me. So yes… it took me a while to get them to seek help for me, and longer still to make them understand why I needed to see a bank rather than a doctor. They folded in the end, knowing that there were many things in the magical world devoid of logic. Though I find the goblins to be incredibly rude, they seem to be helpful nonetheless. _

_I'm turning into a dark veela! _

_I don't understand how this can be… my parents are muggles. As far as I know they have been muggles for forever! I don't want this… I see how fearful Remus is to have others discover his dark secret and now I have one of my own. _

_And James… I love him so much but there's no way he would accept me as his wife if he found out what I am. I know that he wouldn't hate me, but the Potter line has been light for too long and I'm scared to disclose this to him lest I lose him. No one must know my secret. Once my body finishes changing the dark veela's natural shape shifting abilities should work, allowing me to forever hide my shame from the world._

"Harry, what is it?"

The wizard blinked when he realized Jasper had been trying to get his attention for a little while. He shook his head and gestured to the journal. "My mother… she was a dark veela too."

Jasper's eyes widened in shock. "She was? And no one thought to tell you?"

Harry scowled in confusion. "No one knew… at least they didn't when she wrote this entry." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Thankfully it stopped growing once it touched his shoulders, so he wasn't in need of a haircut. However, the increased unruliness of his hair took some getting used to. Jasper said it looked sexy, which was perhaps the only reason he wasn't looking to get it cut to its previous length. "She says dark veela are natural shape shifters and that after her change she was planning to use that skill to hide it from even my dad."

The blonde nodded with a concerned look on his face as he effortlessly whipped through traffic without losing focus on his mate. "I can't imagine how scared she must have been to think she had to hide something of that magnitude from even her closest friends."

His mate could only nod in agreement before returning to the diary.

* * *

Bill Weasley was irate. His parents had the audacity to contact his employers, the goblins no less, to get them to pull him from his jobsite in Egypt because of a "family emergency." He was lucky to still have a job to return to once he sorted out this pseudo catastrophe. Honestly… if his supervisor ever found out that the emergency was that his mother had been cursed, most likely because she stuck her nose in someone's business one too many times, then he was sure to be sacked.

He had worked too damned hard for too damned long to let his banshee of a mother and spineless father take it away from him by their meddling. Bill knew that Arthur and Molly Weasley wouldn't be satisfied until he, Charlie, and the twins were back under their rickety roof with their hair cut as short as possible and a dead-end job working under their father at the Ministry of Magic.

He scoffed as he stuffed some clothes down in his rucksack. Those who thought they knew the Weasleys had no idea how dysfunctional they truly were. As far as he was concerned, the only siblings he could stand to be around were Charlie, Fred, and George. And that was because the four of them all grew up hating their mother who constantly berated them and told them how they would never amount to anything. It was as if Molly had an idea of how her children should grow up and anyone that dared to have their own life's ambitions were a shame to the family. He had adored his father once upon a time, but even **he** became dead to Bill after years of not standing up for his own children.

This was the reason he had ignored the various owls begging him to make a trip "home" to ward their house. When he finally pointed out that he was on a very important dig of which he was unable to leave, he was rewarded with a howler that **still** had his ears ringing. After that, he didn't care if his parents' home was properly warded or not… they were on their own. At least they were until his father had decided to risk Bill losing his job by begging the goblins to give him some time off.

The goblins, whose idea of a "family emergency" contains nothing less than decapitation, seemed to know how embarrassed Bill was by his father's actions. Therefore, instead of sacking him, they decided to temporarily transfer him to their London branch. His supervisor had told him that it was up to him whether or not to address his family's issues. As long as he showed up for work on time and completed the tasks given they didn't care how he spent his time off.

Therefore, Bill had decided that his course of action would be to make a brief trip to the burrow, remove the curse from his mother to get them off his back, and beg the twins for use of their sofa. He knew the two were living in the flat above the building they were in the process of turning into a joke shop. There was no way he was spending any more time with his parents than he absolutely had to.

Charlie and the twins were lucky that their passions lay in careers that were of no use to their family.

* * *

Jasper smiled as he looked up at the three-story house at the end of the long, winding driveway. The house was every bit as extravagant as the one in Forks that they'd most likely never see again. He could see Esme in all the details. Harry looked up from his mother's memories as soon as the car was turned off. They shared a smile and exited the vehicle.

Three blurs ran toward them at top speed, all of them seemed to be more interested in the new car than greeting their brothers.

"Sweet ride, bros," Emmett exclaimed as he trailed a hand along the side.

The rest of the family had come outside as well, most of them shaking their heads at the boys. Alice squealed with glee and wrapped her arms around Harry, who immediately returned the hug.

"Oh it's so wonderful to finally meet you in person, Harry!" Alice pulled away only to give Jasper the same welcome.

Harry chuckled. "You too, Alice. Jasper's told me so many stories about you that I already feel like I know you all."

Edward chuckled and introduced the vampires he hadn't yet met.

A smiling Esme with caramel-colored hair happily pulled Harry into her arms. "I'm so happy to have another son, Harry. Thank you for making Jasper so happy."

The wizard had tears in his eyes as an emotion assaulted him that was foreign to him. He didn't think it was bad, but he certainly couldn't remember ever experiencing it before. Perhaps it was the love of a mother? His green eyes caught the amber ones of Edward, who nodded and smiled in response to his mental musings. "Thank you, Esme. I'm so thrilled to have you in my life as well."

Rosalie was a bit more stand-offish, but Emmett assured him that she was that way with everyone new, so he didn't take it to heart when the blonde just nodded in his direction. Everett was the vampire that Harry knew the least about, only because Jasper hadn't been around him as long as his other siblings. He was just shy of being six feet tall with light brown hair and an easygoing grin. He was well muscled, as if he had done a lot of hard physical labor before he was turned.

"Hey, little brother," Everett surprised Harry by greeting him with a head noogie rather than a hug or handshake. "glad you finally got to meet me!"

Harry pulled away laughing as Jasper happily guided his mate inside the massive house. This was the first time he'd ever visited this place, and the first time he's met four of these vampires, but he still felt like he was part of a real family for the first time in his life.

* * *

"So Harrilicious," Emmett said with a smirk, "I hear Jas bought you a new toy… how are you liking it? I know Alice has barely put hers down since you got yours."

Harry's eyes sparkled from where he was sat on his mate's lap on one of the living room sofas. Delicious smells wafted through the house as Esme excitedly began cooking for her new son. "It's amazing! I've seen things like this before," he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to show them, "but I still can't believe how many things it can do. Did you know there's even an alarm clock on here?!"

Edward laughed. "I did, but we vampires don't really have a need for that particular feature. Alice told me you recently discovered the joys of ringtones."

Jasper chuckled. "Yes… he must have spent hours listening to different songs, trying to choose the perfect one for each of us."

"Ooh really?" Alice dug out her phone and called her new brother. Cyndi Lauper's voice started belting out "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" soon after. She squealed in joy.

Edward grinned as he did the same and his favorite piece by Debussy, "Clair de Lune" began playing softly. "Very nice!"

Then, to Harry's mortification, Alice grabbed Jasper's phone with a sly grin and dialed his number. Needless to say, the song that he had jokingly chosen for Jasper was not one he wanted to share with his new family. He hastily tried to turn his phone off, only to be thwarted by Emmett, who snatched it out of his hand.

_Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock?  
__Don't be a chicken boy, stop actin' like a bee-otch.  
__I'ma peace out if you don't give me the pay off.  
__Come on baby, let me see what you hiding underneath._

_Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock?  
__Whatcha waitin' for? It's time for you to show it off.  
__Don't be a shy kind of guy – I bet it's beautiful.  
__Come on baby, let me see what you hiding underneath._

_I wanna see your peacock… cock… cock…._

Harry's face was beyond red now as the entire family, including his traitorous mate, laughed their asses off. He should have known the decision to use "Peacock" by Katy Perry would end up biting him in the ass. He decided to just hide until everyone forgot about this.

"It wouldn't work," Edward said as he tried to hide his amusement. "Just consider it your initiation, little brother." He reached over to muss up the embarrassed boy's hair even more than it was naturally.

* * *

Hermione Granger was sitting in her room, working hard on her summer assignments. She was so focused on perfecting her Potions essay that she never saw the mysterious barn owl until he screeched in her ear. She jumped a foot before grabbing her heart and glared at the bird. As the witch removed the letter from the bird's foot, Hermione began chastising him. "You should learn patience… look at what you've done! There's globs of ink everywhere and I'll have to clean it by hand since I can't do magic over the summer!"

She growled as the bird took off without even having the common decency to at least appear to be sorry. "Now I'll have to completely redo my essay… stupid bird."

The letter was simply a notice of a new sale going on at the stupid quidditch store! Hermione growled and tossed it across the room. One time! She stuck her head into the shop one time to buy a quidditch book for Ron for Christmas and she's on their stupid owling list for eternity!

As she dug through her trunk, looking for fresh parchment, she never saw the wispy red mist sink into her skin.

"Ah ha," she exclaimed triumphantly as she pulled a clean roll of parchment from the bottom. "I knew I had an extra roll!"

Hermione beamed as she took her place at her desk to get back to work. It was no matter… she had been planning to rewrite her essay again anyway. She had come across two more potions that featured nephila silk after she had already moved past that part and now she could easily include them.

Her smile soon left her face as she squinted at her text. The words on the page had transformed into some kind of squiggles. Hermione hastily rubbed her eyes and looked again, but nothing had changed. She quickly began thumbing through her book, but the other pages were all the same. Growling, the bushy haired girl slammed her book closed. "Ronald Weasley," she growled, "I just know you had something to do with this!"

Assuming she had tripped a jinx on her book to show nothing but gibberish, Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten. It wouldn't be very ladylike to begin destroying things in a fit of rage. The witch decided to go grab something to eat and calm down a bit before she figured out a way to get to Ron and throttle him.

Opening the cupboard, Hermione felt herself go pale when she saw the shelves of dry goods before her. Every single label showed those same undecipherable squiggles as her Potions book. She couldn't read anything!

Hermione Jane Granger fell to the ground screaming.

* * *

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!


	12. Goodbye Molly

**Chapter Notes:** I would just like to say how difficult it is to ping pong back and forth between two stories that are so vastly different in content. I'm constantly thinking things like, "Okay… this character is a pain in the ass so I think I'll have Harrikins mutilate him," only to remember that I can't because I'm updating the sweet Harry story instead of this one.

Some days I feel as if I'm suffering from a Dissociative Identity Disorder, LOL.

**Warning: ** I had originally written "Not a pretty chapter" here, but Nephila told me that I needed a much larger warning for what this installment holds. It's super bad, people. Really graphic violence (blood and gore)… seriously, it makes the death of Vernon Dursley look almost mild by comparison.

**Chapter 12 – Goodbye Molly**

While Harry Potter was being hauled away by his new sisters to the nearest high-end clothing stores for a day of torture, Bill Weasley was crossing the threshold of his childhood home. "Hello," he called, only to be answered by his father's voice, leading him into the kitchen. Once there he cringed at the state of everything. Arthur was coughing as he pulled a pan of food from the oven that was so burned as to be unrecognizable. The older Weasley shook his head and vanished the mess, pan and all before turning to greet his eldest child.

Bill couldn't believe how much grime had built up since his mother had gotten herself cursed. His eyes widened as they caught sight of the massive pile of dirty dishes sitting in the sink. Globs of what appeared to be mashed potatoes lay where they had fallen onto the countertop ages ago, and there was a light dusting of flour over every surface in the room.

Really, how difficult was it to cast a few scourgify's?

"Bill," Arthur said as he reached over to hug the Curse Breaker, "I'm so glad you finally decided to come home to help your mother."

Biting his tongue to keep from pointing out that it wasn't so much a decision on his part, Bill instead chose to focus on the miserable woman sitting at the end of the table. The woman that occupied what was normally his father's seat at the table had certainly seen better days. Her hair was greasy and matted from improper care, the clothes she was wearing were so stained that he felt they should be burned. Honestly, it appeared as if the woman hasn't bathed or even changed clothes in a fortnight.

Was his father truly that incompetent? If their mother had died when they were young, they most likely would have starved to death if this was any indication.

He shook his head and took out his wand, hoping to end this madness soon so he could get back to the twins' flat. No sooner did he get within arm's reach of the woman who had birthed him than she reached out and slapped him hard across the face.

"Molly," Arthur exclaimed as he reached out to steady his son, who had stumbled from the blow. "Why did you strike Bill?!"

The horrible woman glared heatedly at her son. "Why? Because he's an utter disgrace!" Molly gestured angrily at her once pristine kitchen. "Look around you, Arthur," she said while slapping the back of her neck. "How long have we been living like **this** while Bill spent his days lazing about in Egypt?"

Standing tall and furious, Bill confronted his mother. "Lazing?! I've been working my ass off, mother… at my job? You know… the one where I get paid a decent amount of galleons for doing what I love? The one that you nearly got me sacked from because you had the gall to approach my employers and ask them to give me time off?!"

"You **should** have been sacked!" The chair crashed to the floor as Molly Weasley stood furious against Bill. "It would have served you right for turning your back on your family… the family who gave you everything!"

The young redhead chuckled dryly and ran a hand through his long hair. "What are you talking about? Everything you've given me I have more than paid you back for. You gave me an education, only to ridicule me when I chose to use it to follow my dream. You gave me life, but spend an ungodly amount of time harping on about your disappointment in how I choose to live it." Silence rang through the kitchen as mother and son stood glaring daggers at each other.

Finally Molly scoffed and righted the chair before plopping back down, reflexively slapping at the phantom bugs. "You **are** a disappointment, Bill," she said in a deadened voice. "You always have been. Just do what you came to do and leave. You won't have to worry about me or your father ever seeking you out again for anything."

Jaw clenched in anger, Bill waved his wand in an arch over the spiteful woman before him. As he cast his strongest curse revealing charm, he couldn't help but notice that again his father was silent. Not once did he refute his wife's claims that he was worthless in the eyes of the family. Part of him wanted to chuckle, but he was unwilling to waste even a second more of his time trying to explain to his parents what he found funny about this horrible situation.

When he was done casting the spell his eyes widened. Not only could he see what was cast, Bill could still see the remnants of the caster's magic. Normally this wouldn't mean anything to him, except for the fact that he had seen this magic before. He had watched as it pulled a Firebolt through the air, as well as performed a plethora of other feats. And though he was only mildly acquainted with its owner, Bill had never once forgotten the sheer power of his magic.

William Arthur Weasley smirked as he realized exactly who had cast a dark curse on his mother. Without even trying to put an end to the woman's suffering, he saluted his parents with the tip of his wand and walked out the door, never to return. As he stepped past the wards, Bill apparated away, his mother's angry shrieks echoing through the hated house once more. Fred and George were going to laugh their asses off at this information.

He couldn't wait to see Harry Potter again just so he could shake his hand.

* * *

Harry stared wide-eyed at the mountain of clothing the girls insisted he had to have. Even though he had been warned about Alice and Rosalie's excessive tendencies when it came to shopping, he was still vastly unprepared for the actual experience. For hours he had been forced to model a seemingly endless array of trousers, jeans, shoes, shirts, and accessories. The wizard considered himself lucky they didn't break open the packages of underwear to see whether or not the various colors of the boxer-briefs "brought out his eyes."

Needless to say, he was extremely sick of both of the she-demons by the time Alice pronounced their trip a success. Harry glared at the smirking vampires who had opted to remain home while he and his sisters bonded over the latest fashion trends. The only thing that kept him from snapping at them was the tiny sliver of remembered terror in their eyes that bespoke of them having to endure their own horror-filled trips to the shops with the crazy women.

Jasper greeted him with a kiss, causing his mate's depressed mood to lift instantly without even having to use his gift. "How are you feeling?"

Harry leaned up against Jasper's hard body and smiled. "I'm assuming you're referring to the transformation and not the agonizing tortures that Rosalie and Alice have just put me through." He looked up at the smirking blonde. "I'm okay… hardly anything hurts right now. Though I could do with a foot massage," he added, glaring at his sisters. Alice giggled and Rosalie just smirked at him, causing him to sigh. No revenge he had ever even thought of dishing out could equal the trauma he'd experienced today.

"I'm going hunting in a bit. Would you like to join me," Jasper asked with a smirk.

Harry smiled up at his mate. "I would be delighted."

Edward, who had unfortunately caught part of his brothers' fondest memories from Jasper's last hunt, shuddered and clutched at his head in an overly-dramatic fashion. "Ah! It burns! Someone remove these disgusting images from my head!" He shuddered in horror as Jasper and Harry laughed at him.

Carlisle chuckled and placed an arm around Jasper and Harry. "Be careful, boys. And don't forget to travel a good distance before hunting, Jasper."

As the land started to become shrouded in darkness, Jasper pulled Harry onto his back and ran.

The wizard laughed in excitement as the scenery sped by faster than it would have even atop his Firebolt. He clutched Jasper around the neck as hard as he could, knowing that it was impossible to choke the vampire. The honey-blonde curls of his mate brushed his cheek as he tried in vain to see the land before them. Even though his eyesight had improved to the point that he could see fairly well without glasses, they were still moving far too quickly for him to make anything out.

Harry had no idea how much time had passed before Jasper finally stopped, but as soon as his feet hit the ground he felt wobbly. He chuckled as he noticed that, despite the swiftness of their journey, his mate didn't have a hair out of place. He, on the other hand, imagined his own locks were sticking up much more than normal. Jasper's amused gaze as he looked at him was proof of the matter.

The brunette looked around at their surroundings. Though it was the middle of the night, Harry made out a grouping of houses nearby by the light coming from various windows. He could both smell and hear the sea beside them, not to mention the feel of sand beneath his feet. He had a sudden urging to remove his shoes and take a stroll with his love in the faint moonlight, but resisted. They were there for a reason, after all.

Jasper scented the air and pulled his mate by the hand toward the house closest to them. Harry knew to remain silent as the vampire stopped and tilted his head to the side, clearly listening, whilst staring up toward the second floor of the dark brown home before them. Thankfully they were at the darkened rear of the structure, so there was little chance that anyone would catch them trespassing.

When the vampire had been reassured by whatever he had heard, Harry was once again pulled onto his back. Jasper leapt up as soon as his mate was secure, easily able to scale the weathered stone. Once he came to the window he wanted, the blonde paused and carefully looked inside. He gently raised the unlocked window when the coast was deemed clear.

Harry hastily cast a silencing charm when he was set down in a stranger's bedroom. He nodded to let Jasper know they now wouldn't be overheard by anyone outside the room. After a hasty kiss, the vampire cast his eyes at the man who was soon to become his dinner.

Even though Harry knew neither he nor Jasper made a sound as they approached the human, the soon-to-be victim must have sensed something amiss. Dark brown eyes snapped open just as Jasper was reaching over to pull away the heavy comforter concealing his prize. Letting out a yelp of fright, the sixty-something-year-old man leapt from his bed with an agility of which Harry never would have considered a man his age would be capable.

Harry smirked and hastily stepped between him and the door, blocking the exit. The dark-haired stranger quickly looked between the two intruders, sizing them up. Then he released an angry roar and charged at Harry, fully intending to take him out. A second before he would have barreled into the wizard, Jasper had him in a crude embrace with his fangs buried deeply into the man's neck.

As soon as Jasper had drained his victim, he put Harry on his back once again, picked up the corpse, and jumped from the window to the ground below. After running for a little while, the vampire stopped at the top of a tall cliff and threw the human's remains out to sea. Harry climbed down and stepped closer to the edge.

"It's beautiful," Harry whispered as Jasper's arms wrapped around him lovingly. The two stared out into the distance. Though the moonlight was faint, there was enough light to make out the sea from their vantage point. As his remaining senses filled in the blanks, Harry was utterly captivated. "Where are we?"

Jasper reached down to place a kiss on Harry's neck. "Stonehaven… it's about one hundred and fifty miles from the family's house." He gestured to some kind of structure behind them. "I know you can't make it out with your inferior human eyes, but that's Dunnottar Castle behind us."

The wizard turned in the vampire's arms and leveled a playful glare at his smirking mate. "Inferior human eyes? I ought to teach you a lesson for your cheek, Mr. Whitlock!"

Jasper just chuckled and leaned in to capture Harry's lips in a kiss. Once he pulled away he leaned in to whisper, "You could try, but I can easily dodge your inferior human reflexes."

Rolling his eyes, Harry wrapped his arms around his beautiful mate's neck. "Well I greatly look forward to the time I'll be able to experience your superior vampire stamina."

Laughter echoed off of the centuries-old stones surrounding the two lovers.

* * *

When dinnertime came around, Ron Weasley poked his head into the kitchen, hoping that everything would finally be back to normal. He had known Bill was supposed to have come today to take the curse off of his mum while he and Ginny spent the day flying in the orchard. His stomach sank unpleasantly when, instead of the tantalizing aroma of his mother's cooking, he encountered the depressing stench of body odor and rotten food.

"Mum," he asked cautiously as he stepped into the kitchen. A slamming door from two stories up signified that Ginny had gone straight to her room from outside. Molly Weasley sat alone in the semi-darkened room, a glint of something in her eye that Ron couldn't name. Something inside his brain warned him to tread carefully around this woman. "Are you okay, mum? Where'd dad go? Did Bill not come?"

He jumped as her piercing gaze moved to him at the last question. Knowing that he now had her attention, the cowardly boy couldn't help but wish she was still staring blankly at the wall. As Ron watched her slap her right cheek, he knew that his brother definitely hadn't been around to set their mother to rights and he couldn't help but wonder what was keeping him. This was getting downright creepy!

With a sudden shriek of insanity, Molly Weasley grabbed a steak knife from the filthy countertop and plunged it into her own leg. Ronald Weasley screamed as his mother began stabbing at various parts of her own body while screeching a litany of furious words. The traumatized young man could only make out "spiders" and "Bill" as she raged. Blood began pouring from her wounds as the self-mutilation frenzy continued.

He had run to the woman once his brain kicked in, trying his damnedest to pull the weapon from her grasp, only to have her turn and thrust the knife into his right shoulder. Ron's throat felt like it was on fire from the ferocity of his horror and pain-filled cries. He slipped in the growing puddle of his mother's blood and landed on his bum, having no choice but to watch the horror continue. Soon Ginny's screams were added to the mix. She had come running when their mother snapped. Ron emptied his stomach when the knife Molly wielded was plunged into her own eye sockets as the woman tried in vain to kill the invisible bugs that had assaulted her constantly for days.

The attack that had seemed to last an eternity came to a sudden end after the knife was buried in his mother's right ear. The mutilated corpse could not defy gravity and so, with a horrid squelching sound, the remains of Molly Weasley née Prewett slipped from the chair to land near her youngest son's left leg. Ronald, voice finally having completely given out, scrambled madly away from the sight of the empty eye sockets staring accusingly at him.

* * *

Once Hermione's parents arrived home to find their daughter sobbing and begging to be taken to the wizarding hospital, St. Mungo's, they were aghast. A quick explanation from her told them what was wrong, so the worried parents wasted no time in making the trip. For Hermione Granger to lose her ability to read was perhaps the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. Before she had even learned her letters, their baby girl would lose herself in the wondrous stories her parents would read to her at night. Most children fell asleep in the middle of the bedtime story, but not Hermione. She always stayed awake for the ending.

After checking in with the Welcome Witch, the Grangers were quickly directed into the lift up to the fourth floor for Spell Damage. By this time Hermione had calmed down considerably, certain that the healers here would be able to help her. After all, Madam Pomfrey was only a mediwitch and she had never sent her away empty handed. Though she'd had to wait a while for results both when she was petrified and again when she accidentally gave herself cat features, she'd still been cured in those instances.

Healer Bottlenoose, who had been casting a diagnostic spell on her, hummed in thought when the results came.

"What does it say," the bushy-haired witch asked urgently. Her father placed a calming hand on her shoulder, though he too looked anxious.

The healer looked up at his patient and her parents. "Well there's good news," he said with a smile, causing the family to all relax in relief. "It seems someone has cast a simple translation charm on you."

Hermione scrunched her eyes in confusion. "I've read about that charm… once cast, you're able to read everything in a language of the caster's choosing." She frowned up at the healer. "But I'm not seeing anything but weird meaningless squiggles! It doesn't look to be any written language I've seen before."

Bottlenoose scratched his chin and thought about what his patient was saying. "Well, it has to be an existing language, otherwise the charm never would have worked. The caster must actually speak the incantation in the desired language to show results."

"Well whomever put this on me is going to get hexed severely if I ever catch them!" Hermione glared and crossed her arms in indignation.

"What do you have to do to fix her, Doctor," asked the girl's mother.

It showed how many muggles he'd been exposed to when Healer Bottlenoose didn't correct the woman. He shook his head. "Oh I'm sorry, madam, but I'm afraid I can't do that." The healer continued on when his patient looked to be gearing up to throw a tantrum. "I wish I could, but you would have to discover the language first, as well as someone who speaks it. Once you've done that, that person would have to say the proper incantation to remove it from you… I'll write that down for you."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "You can't do anything to help me?! What about a Curse Breaker," she screeched.

The healer frowned in sympathy. "I'm sorry, my dear, but the only way to remove this charm is the way I've outlined." He quickly wrote down the counter charm and bustled out of the room.

The downhearted family gazed at each other despondently, never knowing that only someone who spoke parseltongue would be able to end Hermione's misery.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! *hugs you all*


	13. Returning Home

**Chapter Notes:** Lucky chapter 13! I just want to say that I'm amazed at how many reviews I've received for this story so far! Congratulations to **Wishfull-star**, who was my 300th reviewer! I love each and every one of you… you guys make this so much fun! Especially **Nephila**, who is the entire reason this story was born!

**Chapter 13 – Returning Home**

Gravel made a crunching sound under Severus' boots as he strolled past muggle construction machinery on what used to be Privet Drive. The moon gave him barely enough light to see by, but he was used to living his life in the shadows. Thankfully there was no one around, so he wasn't forced to skulk about like a juvenile delinquent as he completed his task.

Logic dictated that the center of the large clearing was most likely where the fiendfyre had been cast, and so that's where he was heading. Once there, Severus pulled a multitude of objects from his pockets and got to work. He used a potion of his own creation to draw the ritual circle. The magical properties in the mixture would amplify the remnants of magic left over from the massacre that destroyed most of this muggle neighborhood weeks before. All Severus would then need to do was perform the rest of the ritual and he would get a front seat viewing to the events as they unfolded.

Unfortunately, the elixir had taken him a great deal of time to brew, so he could only hope that the memories would be strong enough to make out. Otherwise, he was going to have to do a lot of piecing together before he reported to the Dark Lord.

Once everything was set up, the wizard took his position in the center of the faintly-glowing circle and sliced both hands before placing them palm down on the grouping of runes on either side of him. Completely unconcerned with the pain or bleeding, Severus closed his eyes and began chanting the long incantation.

The Potions Master had repeated the complex string of words exactly seven times before he was suddenly thrown back in time. He found himself standing beside a memory version of Lord Voldemort's nemesis, Harry Potter, and an unknown vampire. Severus watched as the boy cast a silencing charm on the house before calling out to his family.

He raised an eyebrow as Potter referred to the vampire as his boyfriend to the disgusting muggle he called "Aunt Marge" before following the woman down the hall to the kitchen. She spewed a litany of abuse aimed at his hated student the entire way. If Severus was surprised by Potter's admitted affair with the dark creature, he was completely astounded at what transpired next.

Not only did the Light's only hope, Harry Potter, happily admit to slaughtering his uncle, he then proceeded to torture and kill his aunt as she sat bound to her chair. In a daze, Severus followed the boy's memory-self up to the attic where he reverently ran his fingers over a dusty old trunk once belonging to Lily. He felt his chest ache as he remembered the love of his life. From the moment he had first met the little redheaded girl, he had felt a connection. Something about her seemed to call to him, which confused him as he grew up. It was rare for a dark wizard to ever feel such a strong link to a light witch.

Severus had once believed that his love for Lily, despite her leanings, had been just a fluke… the exception to the rule. As he watched the memory of her son cast two final spells, one with devastating effects on the surrounding muggle populace, he wasn't quite so sure Lily had been as light as he'd thought. He bore witness to young Potter and his vampire lover speeding off without once looking back before the ritual came to an end.

The Potions Master opened his eyes to the barren wasteland that had once been a happy community, full of life. A wave of his wand erased all evidence of his ever having been here before Severus apparated away to tell his Lord of his discovery. He inwardly rejoiced, knowing from what he had seen, that Dumbledore and his Order didn't stand a chance of winning this war.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the living room of the Cullens' home, reading about what he would be able to expect as a dark veela. He had been intrigued by the prospect of the creatures' ability to take on different forms at will. It seemed to be a different version of the light veela's allure. While they had to send out a vibe to attract their prey, dark veela's were simply able to change appearance to better suit their victims' tastes.

It seems that all veela, both light and dark, were somewhat like incubi in that they fed from sexual energy. This was why their creature didn't emerge until the final stage of puberty. He was lucky to have found his mate so soon in life, because otherwise he would have had to resort to having various bed partners once his creature fully emerged. The thought of giving that part of himself away to anyone but Jasper made him feel physically ill.

It was all going to take some getting used to, though the shape-shifting bit could prove to be fun in the bedroom.

Edward, who was playing chess with Jasper in the corner, choked on his laughter at Harry's last thought. The wizard glared at him in response. Jasper just shook his head and took Edward's knight before calling checkmate. He was all too used to his brother's gift and its effect on others.

Everett burst into the house, grinning widely after laying eyes on his new little brother. He plopped down beside Harry, startling the wizard with the suddenness of the action. "So Harry… how's Trix?"

Harry chuckled and put down his book. He loved how Everett seemed to be a male version of Alice… bubbly and a little eccentric. "Can't complain, Everett. So, Alice tells me you're into trains. I must admit that the thought of a vampire with a collection of model trains amuses me. When did this all start?"

The brown-haired vampire's eyes were full of joy as he began telling his story. It turned out that Everett had been a track worker when he died in 1870. "I had worked for Union Pacific for a few years, trying to make enough money to send home to Ma and Pa and I've been hooked ever since."

Everett chuckled, his reddish-amber eyes facing the window as he pulled the memories from the dark recesses of his mind. Harry knew from Jasper that a vampire's memories from their human life faded over time. "I was only a little older than you when I got word from my brother Elmer that he'd gotten us both jobs laying tracks… if you pull up the famous picture taken of the meeting of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 on the internet, you'll see me and Elmer way in the back."

"That's amazing," Harry exclaimed.

"Absolutely, bro… but not nearly as amazing as my collection." Harry let out a very unmanly squeal when Everett grabbed him and raced up the stairs in order to show off his model trains. Everyone else just laughed, knowing all about their family member's obsession by now.

* * *

Dressed in somber black robes, Arthur Weasley numbly watched as the coffin containing his wife was lowered into the dark hole by magic. He stood stoically with an arm wrapped around his only daughter as she sobbed into his chest. Ron and Percy stood together on his other side, both continuously having to wipe away fresh tears as their mother was laid to rest.

Percy's estrangement from the family was ended when he received word that he would never have the chance to make things right between he and his mum. It was that understanding that drove him back to his father, terrified that both of his parents would die thinking their third-oldest child hated them.

He may have to live with the fact that the last words he had spoken to his mother had been in anger, but it was still better than Ron and Ginny's last memory of the woman. Both of his youngest were terrified to sleep now, knowing that the nightmares would replay Molly's gruesome death over and over. Arthur, himself, would never forget the horrible sight which awaited him when he floo'd home from Gringotts. He had been gearing up to break the news to Molly that he'd been unsuccessful in securing a loan to pay for the services of another Curse Breaker when Ginny's screams had him rushing into the kitchen.

Everything that had taken place after that had been a blur.

Arthur shook his head, astounded that Bill, Charlie, and the twins had outright refused to attend their mother's funeral. He'd known, of course, that there had been a lot of animosity between Molly and the four boys over the years, but they were still family! This was the time to come together and show support and love to those who shared your blood.

He was greatly disappointed in the majority of his children right now.

* * *

As the last day of their visit arrived, Harry was busy shrinking their bags. Even with the expansion charm on the car's trunk, they would be hard-pressed to fit both their luggage and Harry's new wardrobe inside. He still couldn't believe that he owned so many clothes now after having to make do with only a few sets of his cousin's cast-offs growing up. Come to think of it, he didn't think even **Dudley** had this much clothing!

All of the vampires' heads turned to the same direction as they caught the flutter of wings which preceded the sound of a faint tapping of a bird's beak against the glass of their living room window. Emmett, who was the closest, snickered at the sight of the large gray owl staring at them intently. "Did anyone order delivery? Owl is okay, but I much prefer bear."

Harry laughed as he went to let the owl he recognized as belonging to Neville into the house. "You goof! Neville would permanently stick you to the back of a werewolf if you ate his owl." He smiled at the various sounds of disgust as he opened the latest missive from one of his best friends. Green eyes widened at the article that had been clipped from The Daily Prophet, outlining the suicide of Molly Weasley. A short note from Neville was attached, saying that Charlie, Bill, Fred, and George had refused to attend the funeral.

**That** was interesting.

Jasper put his arms around his mate when he felt a great sense of disappointment. "What is it, Darlin'?"

Sighing, Harry refolded the article and stuffed it back in the envelope. "Molly Weasley went into a fit of insanity from my curse and stabbed herself to death with a steak knife."

Raising an eyebrow, Jasper turned Harry around so he could meet his eyes. "Why in the world do you feel so disappointed, then? I thought you **hated** that woman!"

The wizard snorted. "With every fiber of my being… I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to watch it happen." He stood on his toes in order to kiss the blonde. "I didn't even get to see her suffer before she offed herself."

Jasper just smirked and kissed him again. "You evil little wizard… I'm so glad you're on my side."

Whatever Harry was about to say flew out of his mind when the entire family surrounded he and Jasper, all grinning from ear to ear."

"Harry," Carlisle said, "we have something for you." He handed over a small box wrapped in gold paper. An ivory ribbon completed the wrapping, making Harry hesitant to open the gift and spoil the beauty. "This is a 'Welcome to the family' gift, from all of us."

Harry smiled as he tugged the ribbon free and unwrapped the box. He gasped when he saw the beautiful pendant displaying the Cullen family crest inside a jeweler's box. It had been cast in white gold with black diamonds outlining the edges of both the shield and the pendant. "It's beautiful, thank you!"

Carlisle smiled happily. "All of us have a piece of jewelry showing the Cullen Crest, and it gives us great joy to include you in this little family tradition."

The wizard had tears in his eyes as he embraced his new father. His whole life he had longed to have a family of his own. Until Jasper had come into his life, he had never known the feeling of being loved and accepted for who he was. Even Sirius, as much as he had cared for him, had openly shown his disappointment when Harry didn't act like James Potter had when he'd been alive. Now, because of these wonderful vampires, he knew the euphoria of unconditional love for the first time and he would do nearly anything to keep it.

Edward, who had heard his thoughts, pulled Harry into a hug as soon as he let go of Carlisle. "You'll forever be a member of this family, Harry," he whispered into his brother's ear. "Nothing will ever change that."

* * *

"I'm hungry… are you hungry," Jasper asked once they had been on the road toward home for about thirty minutes.

Harry smirked and set down his mother's journal. "I am a bit peckish… though probably not for the same thing you are."

The vampire chuckled before dialing his brother's number. Edward was actually following them home in order to keep an eye on Harry during the times Jasper had to leave the house. The blonde couldn't stand the thought of leaving his mate behind when he was incapacitated by the pain of the transformation. He also knew that the mind-reader had the best resistance to blood, other than Carlisle, out of all the dominant vampires in the family.

Harry shook his head in amusement when Jasper told Edward the two of them were hungry and were going to stop at a fast-food restaurant. He laughed outright when his mate asked the bronze-haired vampire if he wanted them to pick him up something to munch on.

Jasper turned to him and shrugged after pocketing his phone. "He hung up on me… was it something I said?"

* * *

Jasper pulled into the parking lot of an out of the way McDonald's. Before the two even entered the building, Harry pulled his Cloak of Invisibility out and handed it to his love. "Try not to get blood on it," he said before giving him a kiss. "I'll meet you back here after getting my food."

The vampire nodded and pulled the magical artifact over his head. "Am I covered," he asked before shaking his head when Harry didn't even pause before heading toward the restaurant. He had forgotten that the cloak kept all sounds from escaping. He entered directly behind his mate and veered off behind the counter and into the back. He supposed he could have lay in wait in the restroom, but who would want to eat their dinner in such a place? Not to mention the fact that there was a chance someone else would stumble upon him at an inopportune moment.

He shook his head and smirked when he came across an office where a woman, most likely the manager, was hard at work on her computer. "Perfect," thought Jasper as he slipped into the room. He made not a single sound as he closed and locked the door before removing the cloak. The plump brunette wasn't aware of the fact that she was no longer alone until a cold hand was covering her nose and mouth, ensuring that very little sound escaped as he sank his fangs into her jugular vein and fed.

Once the girl was dead, Jasper re-donned Harry's cloak and carried the corpse out. It would be too suspicious to leave a trail of bloodless cadavers. The blonde much preferred the humans to come to the conclusion that his victims died by other, less supernatural, means. As soon as he slipped out the back near the dumpsters, Jasper ran until he found an adequate place to dump the body before returning to the car with the cloak draped over his arm.

He smiled at Harry, who was happily munching on his hamburger, before pulling back onto the road for home.

* * *

Love you guys!


	14. Emergence

**Author Notes:** This chapter was co-written and beta'd by the beautiful **Nephila**. All of the imperfections belong to me… the rest is hers!

**Warning:** Sex scene in this chapter… written vaguely enough to meet ffnet's strict posting guidelines.

**Chapter 14 – Emergence**

Edward had been composing a new piece on his portable keyboard when his newest brother came downstairs with an ever-present book in his hand. He could see the wizard was in pain from the tense way he moved, but he knew Harry well enough to know he wouldn't be vocalizing his discomfort. The copper-haired vampire smirked. The dark veela was as stubborn as Jasper… if not more so.

"I'm making a trip to see the twins, Edward, did you want to come," Harry asked with a smile.

Smirking, the mind reader thought about what Jasper would do to him if he allowed Harry to leave the house on his own. The blonde was currently out shopping for his mate's birthday in a few days and had entrusted Harry's protection to him. Not that the brunette really needed protecting… he could be scarier than Rosalie if you got on his bad side. "As if I would pass up the opportunity to meet the infamous Weasley twins! When did you want to leave?"

Harry set his book down on the bar before running back upstairs. "Just let me find something to disguise myself and we can go."

A chirping sound had Edward pulling out his cellphone and looking at a new text message from Alice. "OMG!" He scrunched his face in confusion when the girl next sent him a picture of herself beaming. He rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. Edward knew his sister was being vague on purpose and any efforts made to get her to divulge her reasons for celebrating would only be met with her stock answer of, "You'll see."

Dressed in a baggy hoodie and dark glasses, Harry stopped in front of his brother. "How do I look?"

"Like a hip-hop artist with a bad hangover," he answered with a teasing grin.

The wizard smiled. "Perfect! It's what I was going for."

Edward laughed as they made their way to his car, after leaving Jasper a note of course.

* * *

Harry smiled fondly when he caught sight of the twins entertaining their many customers. Fred was standing on top of the counter, juggling three Skiving Snackboxes while George animatedly described the effects of consumption. A group of school-aged children stood before them and cheered as they held up shiny galleons. One unfortunate would-be consumer pouted as his mother dragged him out of the shop by his ear. Behind the counter, an older witch with long blonde hair was laughing merrily as she happily rang up the customers.

He turned to gauge Edward's reaction to the charismatic duo and wasn't disappointed. The copper-haired vampire's eyes had widened in shocked awe as he took everything in. He had heard stories of the wizards through Harry, but tales of their antics paled in comparison when faced with Gred and Forge in the flesh. Harry nudged his brother and they shared a grin before moving through the crowd.

Fred, who had finished his routine and took a hearty bow, hopped off of the counter. Harry leaned in to whisper, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," in his friend's ear and was immediately pulled into the backroom.

"He's with me," Harry assured Fred when he looked to be about to toss the vampire out. "Can George take a break or is this a bad time?"

Grinning widely, the redhead responded. "For you, Harry, we would close the shop for the day if it came to it. Hang on… I think our assistant Verity can handle things for a while. You two head through that door and take the stairs up to our flat," he said while pushing Harry in the right direction. "We'll meet you there."

Harry laughed and followed his friend's directions with the amused vampire following closely. Fred and George's flat was a lot more spacious than he would have thought. There was a blanket and two pillows stacked neatly on the couch which suggested the boys perhaps had a guest. He sincerely hoped he wasn't about to run into Ron or Ginny.

"Harrikins," yelled George as he pounced on his brother with Fred grabbing his other side. They let him go and turned to face him, gearing up to do another round of the dreaded twinspeak. George decided to start.

"It's about time…"

"… you decided…"

"… to come see…"

"your favorite brothers," they finished together.

Rolling his eyes, Harry gestured toward the smiling vampire. "Cut it out, you nuts and meet my brother Edward." The twins responded by each grabbing one of Edward's hands and pumping it up and down before bringing out the twinspeak again.

"Nice to…"

"… meet you…"

"… Edward. Any brother…"

"… of Harry's is a…"

"… brother of ours!"

Edward chuckled amiably, obviously loving these two wizards. "The pleasure's all mine."

"So, Harry, when are we going to get to meet your mate," Fred asked as he draped an arm around the brunette. "How are we supposed to do our brotherly duty and threaten him with ghastly things should he ever hurt you if we don't get to see him in person?"

Harry opened his mouth to tell the twins they were always welcome at his and Jasper's home when something extraordinary happened that blanked his mind completely. Bill Weasley had at that moment floo'd into the flat. As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace his and Edward's eyes met and they seemed to enter into a trance.

"Mine," said Edward as he leaned in close to the oldest Weasley son, who whispered the same thing before embracing his newly-found mate.

Harry started the broken speech pattern this time.

"No…"

"… fucking…"

"… way!"

The three youngest boys in the room turned to each other and started laughing uproariously.

* * *

Edward had been watching the playful banter between his brother and the twins with a great deal of amusement when the strangest thing happened. The flames in the fireplace turned bright green! He was about to crouch in defense when he saw someone emerge from the tinted blaze, but stilled himself. Ever since entering into the mysterious world of magic, Edward was having to constantly remind himself that there were different rules here. Evidently people could walk out of green fire without so much as a singed shirt to show for it.

His first observation in regards to the newcomer was he had to be related to Fred and George. He was tall with pale skin and shoulder-length dark auburn hair that curled at the tips. There was a super sexy earring made of some kind of creature fang dangling from his left ear. He wore a navy blue V-neck cotton top with black pants. The pants were accessorized with thin chains in various places, and they were tucked into what appeared to be thick black boots covered in some kind of scales. And though the stranger wore an open black wizarding robe over the entire outfit, he looked like a rock star.

Then the man's scent hit him.

Edward's eyes dilated as the most perfect fragrance ever created drew him close to the redhead. If someone were to take that smell and bottle it he would… probably rip the heads off of not only the bottlers, but everyone who dared to bathe themselves in the scent of **his** mate!

"Mine," Edward breathed as he went willingly into the arms of his chosen. He knew instinctively that he was to be the submissive in this relationship and his vampire rejoiced to have received such a strong mate.

* * *

Once everyone had settled down from the shock of Edward and Bill being soul mates, they took a seat in the twins' living room to catch up. Harry started by confessing his role in the death of their mother.

"Guys, I know this is probably going to cause you to hate me, but I'm the one who cursed your mother with the dark spell, so I'm the one ultimately responsible for her death." He forced himself to meet the eyes of the Weasley brothers.

Bill's eyes softened despite the serious expression he and the twins wore. "Harry, I recognized the remnants of your magic woven into the curse as soon as I scanned my mother. Not only did I not tell them who cursed her, I had the chance to remove it but chose to let her suffer, so I guess you could say **I'm** the one responsible."

"And if we'd been there," Fred added, "and able to do anything, we wouldn't have helped her either."

George grabbed Harry's hand and nodded. "Did you know that out of our entire family, only Charlie and Bill can tell us apart?" When Harry shook his head, the twin shrugged. "It's true, mate. Even you looked beyond the goofy act enough to see us as individuals when you were in first year."

"You see Harry," Bill said, "it doesn't matter who killed her or how… our parents were dead in our eyes years ago."

Fred snorted. "And we've been trying to kill off Percy, Ron, and Ginny for ages. They're worse than cockroaches!"

Without missing a beat George nodded. "I know he's told you about the time we turned his teddy bear into a spider, but what he and the others didn't know was that the spider was supposed to be highly venomous." He put his head in his hand and sighed despondently. "It's a tragedy that our mother banished it before it could sink it's mandibles into that whiny brat."

Fred waved a hand in front of Harry's eyes. The brunette didn't even notice… too shocked by the Weasley brothers' words. "I think we broke him, Forge."

George sighed sadly. "That's a shame, Gred… though we could put a lamp shade over his head and stand him in the corner."

The other twin nodded and looked to be giving the idea a great deal of consideration. "He would go well with the décor."

Edward just shook his head in amusement and snuggled closer to his newfound mate.

* * *

When Harry walked through the door to his and Jasper's home alone, the blonde was immediately on guard. "Where's Edward? Did he leave you alone?! I'll kill him!"

He stopped growling when the cheerful laughter of his mate broke through his anger. "Jasper, calm down. Your brother didn't let me out of his sight once, I promise." Harry removed the hoodie and sunglasses before pecking Jasper on the lips. "Bill apparated me home so that he and Edward could get to know each other better."

Jasper blinked in shock. "Bill, as in the twins' older brother? He and Edward are…."

"Mates!" Harry beamed. "Amazing, isn't it? Bill's a gentleman, too, so you don't ever have to worry about him treating Edward badly."

The blonde vampire had to sit down. This news was phenomenal! He only wished his brother had come home with Harry so he could congratulate him. Harry was incredibly amused at his mate's shocked countenance. The brunette immediately crawled into Jasper's lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. Edward's good fortune was immediately forgotten when a pair of warm lips latched on to his own. The vampire moaned and deepened the kiss, eager to feel Harry's velvety tongue rubbing against his own.

When Jasper could feel the passion flare up between them he stood up and made his way upstairs to their bedroom. Harry gave no indication that he was even aware of the move other than when he wrapped his legs around his mate's waist. The blonde's knees nearly buckled when he felt a hardened bulge rub against his stomach. Going the rest of the distance using his vampiric speed, Jasper soon had his gorgeous Harry laying beneath him amid the soft bedding.

Kneeling over him, he took a moment to trace the brunette's features with a gentle hand. As soon as the cool finger had finished cataloguing Harry's soft lips, Jasper replaced it with his own. The two parted only when it became necessary in order to free themselves of various pieces of obstructive clothing. The moment Harry's body was completely bare, Jasper pulled away from the delectable mouth and began to explore.

Because Harry was a virgin, his movements tended to be a bit clumsy and awkward, but Jasper couldn't have cared less. He gave his mate all the encouragement he needed in order to gain much-needed confidence. As far as the blonde was concerned, they had eternity to perfect this dance.

Jasper was in love with everything about Harry, but the noises that fell from his lips made his passion soar to new heights. Everything from the soft grunts of discomfort as he was being prepared for the first time to the loud groans of need as the slick fingers continued to move within him… Jasper found himself needing to hear everything.

Once the barrier had been breached for the first time, the vampire held his mate impossibly close, using every sense at his disposal to ascertain Harry's mental and physical state of being. And when the tense muscles relaxed, they rocked together as one until the primal screams of release were torn from their lips, Harrys fingers digging into his mate's hard muscles as he rode the amazing high.

That night Harry fell asleep tangled in the limbs of his lover, Jasper guarding his dreams fiercely.

The blonde could not have wiped the smile off of his face that night if he had wanted to. He stared at the slumbering wizard for hours, caressing the soft skin and thinking of nothing but the precious gift he'd been given that night. Life with Harry, who was wanted in so many different ways by so many different people, was not always going to be easy, but Jasper loved challenges. He was very confident that he could protect his mate, not that Harry was anyone's 'damsel in distress'… oh no, he had full confidence in the wizard's skills and ingenuity.

It was nearing dawn when he heard and smelled the return of his brother. Jasper gently untangled himself from Harry before dressing and going downstairs to greet Edward.

"Congratulations, Edward… I'm so happy to hear that you've finally found your mate!"

Edward spun around in surprise, having been too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the approach. He smiled when Jasper's mind brushed his own. "Thank you! I can't wait for you and the rest of the family to meet him. It seems I need to offer **you** congratulations as well," he added with a smirk.

If Jasper had been physically able, he would have blushed. It was strange that such things could still embarrass him after decades of living with Edward. None of them should even know the concept of privacy any longer. "Yes, and if you embarrass him about it I won't hesitate to return the favor." Jasper glared at his brother as if daring him to make Harry uncomfortable the next time they saw each other.

Edward just chuckled and threw up his hand in supplication. "Easy, Jas! I'm not Emmett, you know."

The blonde just eyed him for another moment before deciding to fix Harry breakfast. Edward followed him into the kitchen and sat down at the bar, exuding nervousness. Jasper knew his brother was working up the courage to ask him something personal, so he stayed quiet and sent calming waves toward the other vampire. Just as he began mixing the dough for the blueberry scones, Edward asked something that shocked the hell out of him.

"Would you hate me if I started feeding from humans again?"

Jasper jerked his head up and stared at the brother he thought he knew as well as himself. "Edward… first of all, there isn't anything you could do, short of killing Harry, that would ever make me hate you. Second of all, it would make me the world's biggest hypocrite if I did, don't you think?"

The bronze-haired vampire just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not the same as your situation though. You slipped… that was the catalyst. **Everyone** knows it's much harder to get back on the wagon after you've fallen off of it. I haven't slipped or even thought about returning to my roots ever since the last time I rejoined the family… until recently."

The blonde sighed and set down the spoon he'd been holding before taking a seat across from Edward. "You're my brother in all but blood… I love you. No matter what you do in life or where you go, nothing can change that. I don't care how dark or light you are… this isn't like the Civil War. There's never going to come a time where you and I are on opposite sides of a battlefield, because I'm always going to have your back. Just like I know you'll always have mine."

Edward nodded solemnly. "That's a fact."

"Now what brought all of this on? Was Bill upset about you eating animal blood?" Jasper had never thought anyone would ever be able to convince Edward Anthony Masen to break his diet.

"No," Edward answered immediately. "I've actually been thinking about this since you and Harry came for a visit. You were so much happier than I've ever seen you… so much freer, I guess is the word." He ran his fingers through his hair, inadvertently messing it up more than usual. "It made me remember how I felt the last time I consumed human blood."

Jasper frowned. "But the thoughts of your victims threw you in a state of depression and made you feel like a monster."

"Yeah… about that," Edward said with a sheepish expression, "I may have fabricated the truth a bit in order to make myself appear as less of a monster."

"Then what's the truth?"

Sighing, Edward said, "The truth is it was the fact that I secretly enjoyed the terrified thoughts of my victims that threw me into a depression. I felt like a monster because I **wanted** them to be scared of me. I wanted to hear them scream, cry, and beg… I got a perverse thrill from it just like you do."

The blonde reached out and grabbed Edward's hand and squeezed. "I'll tell you what Harry told me. You can't view yourself as human… you're not and you'll never be one again." He sighed and released his hold. "You already know both from my experience and the intimate connection you have with the minds of our family that you will never lose that support. You will **always** have a home to return to and now you will always have a mate to share everything with." He stood up and returned to the task of making breakfast.

Edward nodded. "I know… I'm just scared, Jas."

"I can feel that. All I can tell you is to talk this over with Bill… he's your world now, and ultimately he's the one you'll listen to the most." Jasper chuckled. "And if he's anything like Harry, he'll try to push you in the direction he feels will make you the happiest."

Jasper finished cooking in silence as Edward became consumed with his thoughts. He pulled out a breakfast table and arranged the delicious-looking meal upon it. Something was missing, however. He had orange juice, a plate filled with eggs, sausage, and hash browns. Then there was a smaller plate with two hot blueberry scones. Silverware and napkin… check.

"Oh," Jasper exclaimed before running out of the house. He returned a short while later holding a beautiful red rose he had retrieved from the outside garden. Placing it in his mouth, he smiled at his laughing brother and took the tray upstairs.

His timing was impeccable, as Harry was stirring just as he entered with the feast. He removed the rose from his mouth and set it on the edge of the tray. "Good morning, Darlin', how do you feel?"

Harry's eyes opened wider when he caught the smell of the meal his lover had brought him. The question had his face break out in an adorable blush. "I'm good," he smiled shyly at his mate before sitting up. "Is that for me?"

Jasper chuckled. "Well **I'm** not likely to eat it, sweetheart. I wanted to make something special for you to let you know how wonderful you made me feel last night."

The blush made a reappearance and Harry seemed to have trouble looking his mate in the eye, but his emotions told Jasper how pleased he was with their late-night activities. "You made me feel pretty good too, Jasper." He picked up the rose and brought it to his nose, most likely to have something to hide behind. "Everything was so perfect!"

The blonde climbed into the bed and took his place beside his mate after setting down the tray over Harry's lap. The wizard happily tucked into his meal, releasing sounds of delight every time he tasted something new. Jasper just smiled and stroked the raven strands of hair as Harry enjoyed his breakfast. "You're not in any pain from last night, are you?"

The wizard blushed deeply once more, causing Jasper to laugh. He loved every aspect of his mate's character, but "Shy Harry" had to be in the top five.

* * *

The day before Harry's birthday found the young wizard naked from the waist up and screaming in pain. Jasper and Edward sat on either side of the dark veela as he lay face down on the bed and writhed in agony. Two protrusions, which they knew to be Harry's wings, could easily be seen trying to push through the skin near the shoulder blades. As the twin bulges slowly grew before their eyes, Jasper looked warily at his brother.

"You know his wings will break the skin when they emerge… have you fed lately?"

Edward's worried eyes moved from his baby brother to Jasper. "Harry's blood doesn't tempt us, Jas."

The blonde was amazed to hear that. "None of you? Not even Everett?"

"Nope. I don't know whether it's because our vampires recognize him as your mate or a dark veela thing, but he smells nothing like food."

The two vampires were startled from their conversation when Harry rose to his knees and released a primitive roar that rattled the windows. In an explosion of blood, the wings finally broke free from their fleshy cocoon. The new appendages lay limp and glistening with blood and other fluids against the dark veela's back. As soon as the major part of his ordeal was over, the brunette collapsed onto the mattress, panting heavily. Jasper's hand rested on the back of his beloved's neck while Edward stared at the scene in shock.

"I'll… um… just go grab some towels." The telepathic vampire shook his head before rounding up some cleaning supplies. He knew Harry could have everything clean with a single wave of his wand, but the young man had fallen unconscious and would probably be out of it for a while.

He had certainly earned his rest.

* * *

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed! I've been having a lot of trouble sending out replies to all of you lately, so I've decided to only respond to those who ask me questions. It certainly does not mean I don't love you guys, it just means I suck at time management. And to those who have asked me questions and still haven't received a reply... it's coming, don't worry!


	15. What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted

**Chapter Note: **Most of this chapter was written while I was under the influence of pain medication, so if it turns out to be absolutely awful I promise to replace it at a later date.

**Warning:** Mutilation and sex… possibly mixed together. Don't read while eating, or directly after eating. Maybe you just shouldn't read this at all. It's probably best.

**Chapter 15 – What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted**

Inside an unplottable mansion in Little Hangleton, a very powerful man sat in his private study and went over all of the new information he had received concerning one Harry James Potter. Lord Voldemort had not only listened to Severus Snape's accounting of what had truly transpired on that deplorable muggle street, he had insisted on viewing the memory for himself.

The Dark Lord smirked. Albus Dumbledore was truly a fool if he thought he would allow anyone in his ranks whose mind he could not read. The barmy old codger had actually believed Severus when he claimed that Lord Voldemort was not in the habit of forcing his followers to open their minds to him. At the very least, he was known to be quite paranoid when it came to matters of secrecy. It was only because of this that he was completely certain all of his horcruxes were safe.

He had found it quite amusing when the old man had forced his way through the wards of the old Gaunt shack in the attempt to locate one of his most precious items. The ring that Dumbledore had absconded with had been nothing more than a decoy, and certainly not the famed Resurrection Stone.

He still couldn't believe the old man had been stupid enough to put the ring on without checking for curses.

Another decoy, thankfully, had been the diary he had foolishly instructed Lucius to protect. The Malfoy Lord had certainly felt his wrath when he discovered it had ended up in the hands of an eleven-year-old blood traitor. Had it truly contained a portion of his soul, one of his most loyal followers would now be dead. Draco and Narcissa would have soon followed him. Lucius would never know how close his master had come to ending his line over his folly.

Actually, all of the articles he had hidden in various places or given to others for safekeeping were nothing more than exact copies of his true treasures. A dark ritual had been performed on each object so that should anyone discover them they would cleverly mimic an actual soul leech. Prolonged exposure to one of the pseudo horcruxes would continue to draw energy from whomever was in possession of it. Once a set amount had been drained, the energy would then fuel the next portion of the spell which, depending upon the object, would consist of mind control, hallucinations, or even a seemingly alive golem of Lord Voldemort. It was a clever bit of magic that had taken him years to perfect.

The Dark Lord pulled his thoughts away from his greatest secret and back to the matter at hand. There was not only the memory to consider in regards to his young adversary. Nott had approached him during one meeting to report an incident his son and the young Zabini heir had witnessed where Potter verbally berated his supposed closest friends before cutting all ties to them. Voldemort was no fool, and wasn't likely to put much stock in something that could have been fueled by nothing more than adolescent hormones.

When paired with Severus' news, however, the event became much more interesting.

If the young man in the memory had been telling the truth, and Voldemort had no reason to believe he wasn't, Potter was dating a dark creature. And Vampires, who were well known for their drive to find a mate, were extremely unlikely to take a human as a mere lover. You would be as likely to find a human dating a rasher of bacon. Therefore, the most logical conclusion one could make in this situation was that Harry James Potter, supposed Champion of the Light, was mated to a dark creature. And as most anyone could tell you, only a dark wizard or witch could possibly be the chosen of a dark creature.

Once he had put all of the pieces of the puzzle together, the Dark Lord had not only given an order that Harry Potter was not to be harmed, he had instructed his followers to "encourage" their children to get closer to the young man. This is assuming the boy even chooses to return to Hogwarts come September, of course. The wizard gently ran a finger down Nagini's scales as she slithered up his chair to drape herself across the back.

Lord Voldemort smirked as he stared into the flames of the fireplace. The Potter and Black heir certainly wasn't hiding behind his Gryffindor masks any longer. Therefore, he would have to agree with Severus' assessment. If Harry Potter truly was a dark wizard, then his victory was all but assured. He couldn't wait to see the look on Albus Dumbledore's face when he came to the same realization.

That is assuming he lived long enough to witness it.

* * *

Though Harry's wings looked more like shapeless piles of sodden black fabric when they finally emerged, the vampires watched in awe as they slowly began to take shape as they dried. By the time the new appendages were almost completely devoid of moisture, they had completely unfurled and rested against Harry's back.

Jasper was amazed by what he had read in regards to how dark veela wings actually formed. Sometime during the final stage of puberty, the creature gene is triggered and twin pockets of something akin to wizard space was created beneath the skin. This is where the wings develop until they grow too large to remain in their cocoons. Once this happens they are forcefully expelled, as Jasper and Edward witnessed earlier.

The hours passed by as Harry slept soundly. Jasper kept vigil alone when Edward finally left to visit with his new mate. Earlier, the brothers had both temporarily moved him in order to change the bedding and clean him up as much as possible without disturbing his well-earned rest. The wounds that had occurred from the initial expulsion had thankfully already scabbed over, so no more blood would be staining the bedding in the hours to come.

Jasper found himself unable to look away from his mate's new appendages for long. Once they finally dried, he couldn't help but reach out and run a finger over the silky-black membrane. He was in awe of how delicate they actually appeared. From the light pouring into the room from the windows, Jasper could easily make out a vast network of veins. The wings were thin, like those of a bat, and he worried that they would be too easily torn in a fight. He growled lowly at the thought before shaking his head.

He was strong enough to protect his mate as well as his beautiful new additions.

The wings seemed to flex slightly in response to the light caress. Jasper gently took hold of the joint at the tip of the closest one and pulled it out carefully. He constantly monitored his beloved's emotions to be sure he wasn't disturbing his rest. The wingspan was impressive and the blonde wondered whether Harry would need to learn to fly or would instinctively know how. The books hadn't been clear on that.

Harry let out a light moan that startled the vampire. He immediately released the appendage and settled on the bed beside his mate. Jasper found himself itching to stroke the dark veela's wings some more, but refrained from doing so. He wanted the brunette to sleep as long as possible while his body healed.

* * *

"How's Harry," Bill asked as he and Edward cuddled on the twins' sofa. Fred and George were rarely seen, as they stayed busy with the large summer crowds in their store.

"He's okay, I think. Jasper says the wings coming out was the most painful part of the transition and the rest should be relatively minor. He was sleeping peacefully when I left." Edward raked his hand through his perpetually messy hair. He often wondered if he and Harry shared an ancestor who gave them both the gene for wild, untamable hair.

The Curse Breaker tilted his head as he studied his newfound mate. "Something's bothering you." He smirked. "You know I'm not the mind reader in the relationship, so you'll just have to come out and say it."

Edward smiled and read from Bill's surface thoughts that he wasn't truly bothered by his gift, though he was glad that the vampire was unable to delve as deeply into his mind as he was others. Not that he often used that facet of his abilities, and certainly never on his loved ones. He sighed, remembering Jasper's earlier advice to confide in his mate.

"How would you feel if I started feeding from humans again?"

Bill smirked. "I would be ecstatic!"

The telepath blinked in shock at the easy answer before whipping his head around to stare into the beautiful blue eyes. "Why?"

The human laughed. "Because you're a vampire who needs human blood to be at your strongest and fastest. Why wouldn't I want that for you, Edward?" He gently cupped the pale cheek before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on the vampire's lips.

Edward completely lost any response he had planned to give once their lips met for the first time. Perhaps Carlisle wouldn't be too disappointed if he followed down the path Jasper was on. No doubt Alice would warn the vampire patriarch well in advance anyhow. Either way, it didn't matter… he had all the approval he needed right here.

* * *

Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes when he woke up on the morning of his birthday. Though he found it odd that Jasper wasn't lying beside him, he chalked it up to the fact that he'd slept much later than normal and the vampire had likely gotten bored. He remembered that he had briefly roused sometime in the middle of the night, but Jasper's gentle caresses had caused him to drift off once more.

The dark veela sat up and stretched, though he was startled out of the action when he caught sight of something moving behind him. He soon realized it was his own wings. The things seemed to have a mind of their own, for when he had stretched, they had also extended fully without any conscious direction on his part.

This was going to take some getting used to.

He reached back to examine the appendages, and was amazed at how soft the membrane was. It was odd, yet deeply satisfying, to know he would soon have the ability to soar without the use of a broomstick. Harry was going to have to reread the chapter detailing how to tap into the shape-shifting ability. They lived in the muggle world, and he had no intentions of being trapped in this house to avoid exposing his creature to the non-magical humans.

Finding himself longing to see his Jasper, Harry quickly prepared to face the day. He grabbed his wand to cast the spell he'd discovered in one of the dark veela books that would allow his shirt to compensate for his new wings. It had taken him three tries to get it right, but once he did the top appeared to have been tailor-made to fit his new form perfectly.

Harry happily made his way downstairs into the kitchen, suspecting that his mate would be there cooking him breakfast. He wasn't expecting his entire new family, the twins, Neville, Luna, and Bill to be there shouting "Happy Birthday," as soon as he stepped through the door!

The birthday boy let out a shriek that was very manly, despite what the twins would later claim, and his wings flared in panic. Of course Alice had been prepared for this reaction and had promptly taken a photo as the other traitors laughed at him.

Jasper soon had his arms wrapped around him and was placing a loving kiss on the pouting lips. "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart."

The brunette smiled softly at his mate, earlier humiliation already forgotten. "Thank you, Jasper. Where's my present?!"

Laughter filled the air once more as the festivities soon got underway.

Harry couldn't believe all of the wonderful things he had received from his family and friends! He was used to receiving inexpensive and impersonal things such as candy and quidditch posters, not that he was any less grateful to have received them. But the Cullens, he had discovered, didn't know the meaning of the word "cheap." The teenager was honestly feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the gifts he had been presented with. And he hadn't even gotten to Jasper's yet!

The dark veela had just hugged Luna, thanking her profusely for the beautiful dragon ear cuff, charmed to keep the wrackspurts away of course, when Jasper handed him a small package. Harry smiled at his love before carefully unwrapping the bright silver wrapping. Inside was a jeweler's box, and when he opened the lid his breath caught in his chest.

A set of matching magical bonding rings were gleaming up at him. They were exquisitely crafted from platinum, and both were adorned with a carved Celtic knot symbolizing everlasting love. The lines of the carving were painstakingly highlighted by diamonds. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Jasper knew what these rings represented.

He needn't have doubted, because when he finally looked away from the gift, Jasper Whitlock was down on one knee before him. Harry didn't register the sudden silence that had descended upon the kitchen, nor was he aware of his own elevated heartbeat. All he knew, in that moment in time, was the utter love and devotion in his mate's crimson gaze as he stared up at him and asked him the question everyone in that room knew was coming.

"Would you do me the honor of marrying me, Harry?"

Feeling lightheaded and dazed, Harry could only nod as his eyes filled with tears. He laughed with delight when a beaming Jasper slid one of the bands on his own finger. With shaking hands, he took out the remaining ring and slid it on Jasper's. As the newly engaged couple met in a fiery kiss, everyone cheered.

That night, after the couple had celebrated in their own way well into the night, Harry couldn't help but think that this had been the best birthday he had ever had. He lay his sweaty head upon Jasper's chest and drifted off to sleep with a smile. As long as his mate was with him, every day was sure to be utter perfection.

* * *

Over the course of the week following Harry's birthday, the rest of the changes finally came through. The dark veela had eventually gotten the hang of altering his appearance. He mostly used his gift to hide his wings and ears, which had formed distinct points at the tips like the high elves. Harry usually only did this when going out into the muggle world. When he next ventured into the magical world, however, he certainly wouldn't have to worry about being recognized!

Harry also found that he could instinctively alter his appearance to match his would-be victim's ultimate fantasy. It made sense, because what good would it do you to attempt to lure your prey if you had no idea what kind of individual he or she felt was the most attractive? He discovered this when Edward walked into the house as he was practicing his ability and Harry had felt the sudden need to shift into an exact copy of Bill. Thankfully his brother could read minds because that could have ended up as an extremely awkward experience really quickly. Since then he had worked harder on controlling it.

The thing he loved most about his creature was the fact that for the first time in his life he could see perfectly. In fact, his vision now was more akin to a vampire's in that he didn't require very much light to see in the dark. This was certainly going to make it a lot easier to navigate the corridors at night once he made it to Hogwarts.

* * *

"I asked Bill for a portkey to the cemetery where his mother is buried," Harry said as he sat on the window seat and stared into the backyard. "He sent it home with Edward this morning."

Jasper muted the television and turned to face his mate. "I don't sense guilt on you, Harry, so I don't understand why you'd wish to visit her."

Harry sighed and moved to sit beside the vampire. He immediately snuggled close to Jasper, smiling when a cold arm moved to pull him even closer. "I don't feel guilty… at all. I'm glad she's dead, and I'm only regretful that I didn't get to witness her declining sanity before she died." He frowned as he tried to convey his reasoning for going. "I guess part of it is because I feel like I need to see the results of what I've done… almost like it would bring me closure."

The vampire frowned in confusion. "I can understand the need for closure, but Molly Weasley isn't your first victim. You haven't expressed a need to see the graves of any of the people from Privet Drive."

The brunette shrugged. "They were all virtual strangers to me. Molly Weasley is someone I knew well… or at least I thought I did at one point. I've sat in her kitchen and have eaten her food. I've shared things with her. She's the first adult I've ever reached out to about my home life, thinking that she would somehow save me."

"So you want to go to tell her how much she has disappointed you?"

"No." Harry's sudden spike of frustration had Jasper place a kiss to his temple.

"It's okay, Harry," the blonde stated. "It doesn't really matter why you feel the need to visit this woman's grave. You already know you have my support in anything you need, and you never have to explain your reasons to me if you don't want to."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Jas. You can come too if you'd like."

* * *

Ginny was standing beside her mother's grave, staring blankly at the polished stone. Ever since that horrible day, she had been feeling so lost. Her mother had always been the one person who had truly understood her and losing her, especially in **that** manner, had torn her apart. Molly Weasley would never get to help her plan her dream wedding, nor would she ever get to hold a single grandbaby. It just wasn't fair!

The sound of footsteps had her turning around. Expecting to be retrieved by her father, Ginny gasped in delight to see the much-loved face of her fiancé. She pushed the auburn hair out of her face and ran to the one she had refused to believe had been killed by Voldemort.

The boy barely glanced at her as she screamed his name. She stopped short just before reaching her beloved, noticing that he didn't look quite like the Harry she had once known. His ever-present glasses were missing, causing his emerald gaze to be even more piercing. Harry's hair was shaggier and, though it still stuck up in odd places, it now looked as if he had styled it that way on purpose. The most obvious changes in her betrothed was the large set of black wings resting against his back and his now-pointed ears.

The new appendages closely resembled the wings of a dragon, except much more delicate and Ginny just knew the texture would be soft like silk.

She was too busy checking out his changed appearance to notice the lack of emotion in his eyes when he looked at her. "Harry, what happened to you? Did you eat something the twins made?"

The older boy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "No, Ginevra. I've not been pranked. This is me, in my natural form."

"Don't call me that," the redhead reflexively snapped before confusion washed over her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not here to satisfy your curiosity, Ginevra. I came to pay my respects to your dearly departed mother."

Those words brought back the familiar ache and Ginny burst into tears once more. "Oh Harry, it was horrible! Ron and I saw the whole thing!"

Harry once again dodged her attempts to latch on to him, sparking the redhead's volatile temper. "What is wrong with you?! You're supposed to be comforting your fiancé at a time like this, not acting so cold! My mother just died!"

The winged boy chuckled. "I seriously doubt he needs comforting over this matter, Ginevra. And I am fully aware of her passing… that is why I'm here, remember?"

A mixture of confusion and dread filled her as his words brought her attention to the platinum and diamond bonding ring adorning his left ring finger. "What… what are you talking about?" She wiped the fresh tears from her face and stared up at Harry as if she had trouble recognizing him. And honestly, she almost didn't. Ginny wanted to do many things in that moment. She wanted to slap him for once again using her hated birth name. She wanted to scream at him for accepting another's ring, but most of all she wanted to grab him and shake him until he realized that he was completely in love with her.

When the brunette didn't answer, the witch felt her frustration reach new levels. "Damn it Harry! Didn't Dumbledore tell you? He and my parents set up a betrothal contract between you and I. Your engagement to someone else isn't valid, and if you refuse to marry me when the contract date is set to end you'll lose your magic!"

The wizard scoffed. "Oh I know all about the silly little contract, Ginevra. However, it seems that even an ironclad document such as that is unable to stand up to a soul mate bond."

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. "What?"

"A soul mate bond. I met my mate… a gorgeous vampire named Jasper. He's the one I love with all of my heart, so there certainly isn't any room left over for a pathetic little girl like you, **Ginevra**."

"Stop calling me that," Ginny shrieked. This couldn't be happening! She was supposed to get her happy ever after with her hero. She was meant to be the one taking the Potter name and attending all of the high-class functions, dripping in the finest clothing and jewelry. And she had forever dreamed of seeing jealousy on the faces of others as they looked upon her. For she would have been the one… the only one to capture the interest of Harry James Potter. It's all she had dreamed about since she was a little girl.

Desperation caused her to grab Harry's wrist. She no longer cared about his strange new wings or his bizarre aloof manner. All Ginny was concerned about was not letting her white knight slip through her fingers. So, with tears streaming down her face, Ginny Molly Weasley began to beg shamelessly. "Harry, please! I can give you so much more than any man could dream of. What about children? I know you've always desired a family! I'll be the best wife you could ever ask for!" She thought she heard a low growling sound coming from the copse of trees behind Harry, but soon dismissed it as the wind.

Harry glared down at the sobbing girl as if she were the most repugnant thing ever created. He jerked his wrist from her grasp, the sudden action causing her to stumble in shock. "Do not presume to think you know me, Ginevra Weasley! You may have seen my face a thousand times in the last four years or so, but I can promise you that what you were gazing at with your pitiable little love-struck expression was nothing more than a mask. Not once did I allow you to see the real Harry James Potter, and I can promise you that if you did get a deeper insight into the mind of your **hero**, you wouldn't like what you saw."

"No, Harry… please don't do this!" She fell to her knees sobbing into her hands. "I could never love another, because I gave my heart away to you years ago!"

Harry had been on the verge of walking away when her desperate words froze him in place. He turned to face her once more and there was something gleaming in his emerald eyes that both frightened and excited her. "Do you mean that?"

Feeling hope for the first time since she found out her beloved Harry Potter had found his soul mate, she hastily scrambled to her feet. "Yes, Harry, I promise I'm telling the truth. My heart belongs only to you, and it always will!"

She closed her eyes in happiness when the wizard tenderly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the nearest tree. She felt giddy as he gently backed her against the rough bark of the willow, thinking she was about to receive her first kiss from the man of her dreams. The giddiness turned to confusion when Harry took his wand out and restrained her to the tree. Then the confusion turned to desire when he reached out and started unbuttoning her light pink cotton blouse.

Harry was unable to completely remove the top since Ginny was bound to the tree, so he left it alone. Once her plain white bra was revealed, he simply cut the fabric away with a spell. The witch was no stranger to kinky sex, so she wasn't bothered in the least by the brunette's need to dominate her. On the contrary, she had never felt herself grow so moist in such a short period of time. Once exposed to the cool breeze blowing through the graveyard, Ginny's nipples hardened until they were almost aching.

The wizard raised his hand once more and said a spell of which she wasn't familiar. The tip of the holly wand lit up immediately. The light wasn't bright enough to light up a dark room, so she couldn't even guess its purpose, but when Harry drew it close to her skin she began to get nervous. Kinky sex was one thing, but she'd never been into the whole sadism/masochism thing. "Wait… what are you doing?"

The wizard looked up at her as if the answer was blatantly obvious and she was stupid for asking. "I'm taking back my property, of course."

Ginny blinked in confusion. "What property?"

The wand was once again moving toward her chest. "The heart, Ginny. You gave me your heart and I'll be taking it now."

She had opened her mouth to ask him if he'd lost his mind when an agonizing pain caused screams to spill from her lips instead. Rather than being deterred by her suffering, the noises seemed to spur the wizard on more. Ginny was too busy trying to move away from the pain to notice someone new had joined Harry until he began speaking.

"You may want to cast a silencing charm, Darlin'. That girl's loud enough to have people come running from miles away."

Ginny blinked as Harry stopped cutting long enough to cast the charm. She'd had a moment of hope that the blonde stranger may rescue her, but it was soon dashed when she saw the bemused smirk on his pale face. The return of Harry's wand took away her thoughts completely. She couldn't help but look down at what the wizard was doing to her. A river of red was flowing from the wound that her torturer was steadily making bigger. She willed herself to black out, so as to escape this crippling torment, but awareness remained.

A loud cracking sound startled her into looking down once more. Though, like the last time, she immediately wished she hadn't. No one should ever have to see their own rib bones being removed one by one. Harry, she realized through the unceasing screams and tears, had never once lost the amused look despite getting positively drenched in her blood. The last thing she had seen before death finally claimed her was Harry James Potter yanking out her still-beating heart and placing a kiss on the organ.

* * *

Jasper couldn't have stopped himself from pouncing on his mate even if he had wanted to… and he most certainly did not want to. The sight of Harry ripping the heart out of a living body left him desperate to sink into the shorter man and claim him all over again. His lips immediately sought out the blood-coated ones of his beloved and he groaned at the taste of Ginny's life essence on his tongue.

With a speed that would even have other vampires gaping in amazement, he had divested both himself and Harry of clothing. He gently pressed his mate's winged back against the same tree to which the unfortunate girl's corpse was still tied. The part of his vampire that was forever mindful of his mate's safety and well-being gave him the patience needed to gently open the young man up wide enough to take his member.

Harry's legs clutched tightly to his mate's waist as he happily submitted to his dark lover. Fingers tangled in each other's hair as the passion completely took control of their heaving bodies. The brunette was the first to release, and screamed his mate's name for all to hear. He wanted no one to ever doubt the identity of the vampire to whom he belonged. Jasper followed close behind, placing a hand between Harry's lower back and the rough bark of the tree in order to protect the delicate skin from painful scrapes. He gave a few more reflexive thrusts before sighing and placing a tender kiss to the other's still-bloodied forehead.

Soon the lovers parted and began grabbing their clothing. Harry waved his wand, removing the blood from both their fabric and skin. Just as the lovers were about to take the portkey back home, the brunette caught sight of the dead girl's heart he had dropped when Jasper had become overcome with passion. Smirking, he reached down to pick up the organ. "You know what," he directed to the cadaver, "I changed my mind. You can keep it." He tucked it back into the gaping chest cavity and cleaned his hand once more.

The mates were soon gone in a flash of light.

* * *

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